Stories by Al Sacco

RIM patches yet another PDF-related BES flaw

That pesky PDF distiller in Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) BlackBerry Attachment Service has yet again been identified as a security risk, and RIM has issued another "interim security update" to patch the vulnerability.

Al Sacco | 16 Dec | Read more

RIM patches another flaw in BlackBerry enterprise server

Research In Motion yesterday released an "interim security update" for BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) 5.0 Service Pack 2 (SP2)for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino due to a vulnerability that could have potentially allowed a hacker or other malicious person access to organizations' BES infrastructure. That flaw could have also been used to execute Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, according to the BlackBerry-maker. And it affects not just the full version of BES, but the free BES Express, as well.

Al Sacco | 14 Oct | Read more

Phoenix Freeze auto-locks laptops via smartphone

A new product from Phoenix Technologies, <a href="http://www.phoenixfreeze.com/">called Freeze</a>, lets you use BlackBerry or iPhone Bluetooth to tell a PC that you're leaving the area and want it to lock up. When you return, Phoenix Freeze can also automatically unlock the machine so it's ready for you. However, it only works on Windows PCs, doesn't support 64-bit platforms, disables all other Bluetooth peripherals and seems to be a bit buggy for an official release. Phoenix Freeze for BlackBerry and iPhone

Al Sacco | 25 Jun | Read more

Cellcrypt for BlackBerry Secures Cellular Voice Conversation

The BlackBerry platform is known for its impressive security safeguards; Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is literally designed from the ground up to meet enterprise security needs, and its various international security certifications attest to its effectiveness. However, there's one component of the BlackBerry ecosystem that's largely unguarded from potential threats: phone calls, i.e., voice traffic.

Al Sacco | 07 May | Read more

Blog: Mobile Twitter Game Heats Up; Oprah, Ashton Kutcher Fan the Flames

Uber “micro-blogging” service Twitter has seen a drastic spike in popularity in recent days thanks to the support of a number of high-profile celebrities like Kelso--ahem, Ashton Kutcher--and the Queen Bee of Middle America, Oprah Winfrey. Along with all the newfound interest come a number of crafty software developers hoping to cash in on the mass hilarity with new, feature-packed Twitter applications and services for smartphones that let you “tweet” from anywhere there’s cellular connectivity.

Al Sacco | 20 Apr | Read more