BlackBerry issues 'critical' security warning for Z10 phones

Summary: The first flagship BlackBerry 10 phone contains a "critical" bug that could allow hackers to crack open the device and pilfer files and data.

(Image: BlackBerry/RIM)

BlackBerry has issued a security advisory notice to those who have bought its flagship Z10 touchscreen smartphone — the first BlackBerry 10 device to launch following the company's bid for revival, back in February.

The advisory, which was issued earlier this month, notes a bug that relates to BlackBerry Protect, its security and backup utility, rather than the phone's operating system itself. 

According to the advisory, an escalation of privilege vulnerability exists in the software of some Z10 phones that could allow a malicious app to "take advantage" of weak permissions in the in-built security software. This could allow a hacker to gain access to the device's password, and intercept and prevent the device from being wiped.

The "critical" factor is that the security flaw could dupe the device's user into installing an app which resets the device password through BlackBerry Protect. Though the device may be in the user's hands, the device's data is under the control of the hacker.

BlackBerry 10 version 10.0.10.261 and earlier devices are affected by the critical bug, except version 10.0.9.2743. BlackBerry 7 and earlier users are not affected, and neither are those whoupgraded to BlackBerry 10.1 in recent weeks.

BlackBerry said in the advisory that the bug is "not currently being actively exploited," but BlackBerry Z10 owners and IT administrators who deploy BlackBerry Z10 smartphones in an enterprise should update their devices as soon as possible.Enterprise users can also set their BlackBerry Enterprise Server policies to mitigate any unauthorized access. 

Samsung may have key role in ARM server stakes

Summary: It's a bit unclear whether there are enough large horses to make ARM servers commonplace in the data center today. If Samsung entered the market either to manufacture processors or launch systems, the game would change.

Data centers are increasingly eyeing servers with ARM-based processors for power savings and lower costs uniquely designed for so-called hyperscale environments. But before ARM servers really take off, there will have to be a chip manufacturer that can rival Intel and its x86 architecture. That leading horse could be Samsung.

Andrew Feldman, vice president of AMD's server business unit, indicated that the chipmaker is betting heavily on ARM processors and its server and systems know-how to become a larger enterprise player. Feldman also made an ARM server prediction: By 2016 and 2017, ARM servers will have double digit market shares.

However, Feldman said he expects Samsung and maybe Qualcomm to step up into the ARM server game. The Samsung possibilities are worth pondering. To wit:Should ARM servers get that much traction in data centers, it would be a boon to AMD. After all, Nvidia is the only other large ARM player talking about servers right now. If you take the current ARM server pecking order and apply it to the future, you'd have to assume that AMD, Nvidia and a few startups would drive market share gains. In other words, it's a bit unclear whether there are enough large horses to make ARM servers commonplace. AMD has the most enterprise experience.

• Samsung already makes PCs so it has manufacturing scale to some degree 
• It has its Exynos mobile applications processor
• Samsung has the memory manufacturing operations
• The company also is a semiconductor fabrication player
• Samsung has a lot of experience with ARM
• And the company does hit the enterprise in a few areas

Potential server play?

Add it up and Samsung could either provide ARM chips for servers or it could make the systems. In any case, the theory that ARM servers will become a data center staple would be greatly helped by Samsung.

The game for ARM servers would also depend on a large data center player, say Google, Facebook or Amazon, porting applications to an ARM architecture. If the big guns went to ARM servers, enterprises would at least look at the option. Enterprises may take a long look though, since porting applications to ARM would be tricky. ARM servers are likely to be the domain of cloud providers for a while.

It's likely that Samsung would become an ARM server processor player over a systems maker. To make systems, the Korean conglomerate would have to partner with the likes of VMware and others. Samsung approaches business customers from a bring-your-own-device perspective. Data centers may be out of focus for Samsung.

On the chip front, Samsung could be a dangerous counterweight to Intel by partnering with players such as Lenovo, Dell and HP. The likely move would be to tackle servers in Korea, then China and then mature markets. Instead of Intel Inside, you'd have Samsung inside.

In the ARM processor game, Samsung has all the parts to change the server market dynamics. What's unclear is whether the company has the will.