Rooting A Blackphone Turns Out A Lot Easier Than Expected

Android’s answer to BlackBerry’s boast of security. This was exactly how they billed the Blackphone. BlackBerry’s security capabilities are one of a kind. And to even think of competing with the security features of BlackBerry’s is a brave move. However, contrary to expectations, Android’s Blackphone doesn’t even come close.

DEFCON 22 that is currently under way back in Las Vegas has definitively shown the Blackphone its place. The supposedly NSA proof device was rooted in under five minutes by @TeamAndIRC. Apparently they’ve had a fair bit of fun playing around with the Blackphone. Justin Case from @TeamAndIRC has managed to get root access without much of an effort. And he did not stop just there. Justin managed to enable the ADB on the Blackphone. He did this without even having to unlock the bootloader.

Now that’s a commendable feat. Although, it brings into question the Blackphone’s claim that it can match BlackBerry’s award winning security features. The exploit was patched up partially in a hurry. The rooting can now be only done with user intent. As the popular saying goes, better late than never. We could be mistaken, however, from experience it is apparent that any Android device can be rooted given a sufficient amount of time.

Given the history of Android phones, it is not much of news anymore when their high-security devices get rooted. A device that cannot be rooted is the news that people want to hear right about now. This issue is going to be hard to pass over for the Company that has begun marketing the Blackphone as a ‘high security’ Android device. They really should have concentrated more on making their device secure than claiming their supposed edge over BlackBerry. It would probably have served them better.

This incident should additionally serve to remind everyone why BlackBerry is unbeatable in matters of device security. Countless years of hard work and unwavering commitment to providing secure platforms to its customers is what has earned such goodwill for BlackBerry. BlackBerry is always at the top of its game when you talk about device security. And the competition would do well to remember this before they even begin to make tall claims in the future.

It is interesting to see how Android is trying to keep up pace with BlackBerry in terms of security and privacy capabilities. It is not just android; other major tech companies are also showing a major interest in the MDM market space. This only confirms what BlackBerry has been stating for a while now. Enterprise Mobility management is the future and data security is of paramount importance here. BlackBerry already has a great head start in this market in terms of customer base and trust. Latest entrants into this sphere definitely need to remember that the only way in which to attract users to their product is quality. Security is a major issue with people nowadays. And unless you can cater to their needs efficiently your survival in this business will be short-lived.