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BlackBerry 6 Gains FIPS security certification

Research In Motion (RIM) HAS announced that BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones, is now FIPS 140-2 certified. This FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification provides confidence to a variety of security-conscious organiSations, including U.S. government agencies, companies in regulated industries and other organiSations dealing with sensitive information, that data stored on smartphones running BlackBerry 6 can be properly secured and encrypted.

BlackBerry 6, which debuted on the BlackBerry Torch smartphone earlier this year, retains the trusted features of the BlackBerry brand while delivering a rich experience that is powerful and easy to use. It has a redesigned interface, includes expanded messaging capabilities, enhanced multimedia support and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that delivers fast Internet browsing. In addition to the BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry 6 ships on the new BlackBerry Bold 9780 and BlackBerry Style smartphones. BlackBerry 6 can also run on the BlackBerry Bold 9650, BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Curve 3G and BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphones (subject to carrier certifications).

FIPS is a US government computer security standard for certifying cryptographic modules. The standard was developed through the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), which certifies products for use by US government agencies and regulated industries that collect, store, transfer, share and disseminate sensitive information. Product certifications under the CMVP are performed in accordance with the requirements of FIPS 140-2.

In addition to various FIPS certifications, BlackBerry products have passed rigorous security assessments from a variety of other independent organisations around the world. For example, the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution has been approved through the CESG Assisted Product Scheme (CAPS) in the United Kingdom and by the Defence Signals Directorate in Australia, and has also received Common Criteria EAL 4+ certification. As a result, the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution has been approved for storing and transmitting sensitive data by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) as well as government organisations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Australia and New Zealand.

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