BlackBerry 10 Not Secure Enough for British Government (Yet)

BlackBerry is betting big on BlackBerry 10. The company has spent years developing this new operating system and is hoping it will be enough to match the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft. Unfortunately, it seems BB10 was this week dealt a blow by the UK government.

The Guardian on Tuesday evening reported that BB10 had been rejected by the British government as not secure enough for essential work. According to the British newspaper, the phone was not cleared by the UK's Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG), and it's not clear when a revised version of BB10 will be submitted for further consideration.

Speaking in a statement, BlackBerry said that reports BB10 had been rejected were 'misleading and false.'  The company referenced its "long-established" relationship with CESG and said BlackBerry is the only solution approved for use "at 'Restricted' when configured in accordance with CESG guidelines." Restricted is two levels below the 'Secret' classification and the Guardian reports BlackBerry 7.1 was approved for communications up to Restricted.

"This level of approval only comes following a process which is rigorous and absolutely necessary given the highly confidential nature of the communications being transmitted," said BlackBerry. "The current re-structuring of this approval process, due to the Government Protective Marking Scheme review and the new CESG Commercial Product Assurance scheme has an impact on the timeline for BlackBerry 10 to receive a similar level of approval." The company also highlighted the fact that the U.S. government awarded BB10 FIPS 140-2 certification and that the German Procurement Office and Federal Office chose BB10 for Information Security (BSI).

The Canada-based company said it is continuing to work closely with CESG on the approval of BlackBerry 10. Unfortunately, the company didn't offer any indication as to when that might happen. Right now, the only BlackBery 10 phone available is the touchscreen Z10. The software features the ability to have two distinct profiles, one for work and one for home, and does not allow the sharing of information between the two. The upcoming Q10 also runs BB10 but packs a QWERTY keyboard. It won't be out until next month.

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