Originally published February 6 2006
Flaw discovered in BlackBerry Attachment Service
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to Research In Motion, the potential exists to take advantage of a vulnerability in the BlackBerry system. An attack could disable the device's ability to open attachments. A fix for the problem has been developed, but it is still in testing.
Nasty email attachments that can cause havoc on a home or office computer could also do their dirty work on a BlackBerry, according to a warning from BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion earlier this week.
In a statement issued yesterday, the company said it had no word yet of any BlackBerrys coming under attack.
But the potential is there, underscoring the dangers of cyberspace, where no computer --- even one you can cradle in your hands --- is absolutely safe.
RIM said the problem came to its attention in late December when a member of Phenoelit, a group that identifies security weaknesses in computers, detected a vulnerability in the BlackBerry system.
An attack could be launched when users open a particular type of picture file called TIFF, or Tagged Image File Format.
The attack could potentially disable the device's ability to open other attachments.
Until that fix is available, RIM advised that concerned BlackBerry users can either filter TIFF files or disable their BlackBerry's attachment-opening function altogether.
Instructions for both options are available at the BlackBerry website.
Brian Hernacki, a researcher for computer security company Symantec, explains how an attachment could carry hidden dangers.
The idea is that an attacker can embed codes in the picture data itself.
He said this type of computer attack belongs to a class that takes advantage of the enormous amount of digital content that makes up a picture file or an online movie.
The profile of hackers has evolved with the Internet, Hernacki said, and it's not just about thrill-seeking any more.
"There was a lot of popularity to that five years ago.
These days we're seeing a professional class that's profiting from the attack," he said.
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