RIM fixes critical BlackBerry Enterprise Server bug
Research in Motion patched a critical bug in its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) Friday to stymie hackers hoping to break into company networks by tricking users of the popular smart phone into opening rigged PDFs.
The fix, which was delivered in several separate updates to BES, addressed a security vulnerability in the PDF distiller component of the BlackBerry Attachment Service, which runs on the BES. RIM first disclosed the flaw last week, but the bug gained attention Wednesday when the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), part of the Department of Homeland Security, posted an alert.
Attackers could exploit the vulnerability by getting BlackBerry users to open malicious PDF files attached to e-mail messages. Successful exploits would compromise servers running BES, not individual BlackBerry devices, RIM said in security advisories first published July 10.
A RIM spokeswoman said Friday that the company had received no reports of attacks and that updates were now available for BES.
Enterprise administrators can update to BES version 4.1 Service Pack 6 (4.1.6) for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino, RIM said in a revised advisory. An update to BES for Novell GroupWise pegged as 4.1.4 also patches the problem.
Administrators running editions of BES older then versions 4.1.6, or 4.1.4 for GroupWise, can instead apply one of several interim security updates posted on RIM's download site.
Previously, RIM had updated the BlackBerry Unite software that users run on their smart phones to patch the problem on the client side.
» posted by ITworld staff
Computerworld
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
Enterprise 2.0 Implementation
By Aaron C. Newman, Jeremy Thomas
Published by McGraw-Hill
Learn more!
Deploying Cisco Wide Area Application Services
By Zach Seils, Joel Christner
Published by Cisco Press
Learn more!
