White House: BlackBerry Blackout In China

**cherrichiodo** · #1 08-04-2008 -

A senior White House official says staffers accompanying President Bush to China have been told to leave their BlackBerries at home, reports CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer.

The mobile e-mail blackout is the latest sign of U.S. concerns over Chinese cyber-spying. Sensitive presidential communications are always encrypted, but government cyber-security experts are worried about electronic eavesdropping on the BlackBerries, which are difficult to protect from snooping.

BlackBerries have been banned on other presidential foreign trips but the order underscores specific concerns about Chinese spying during the Olympics, reports Maer.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., warned last week that foreign-owned hotels in China face the prospect of "severe retaliation" if they refuse to install government software that can spy on Internet use by hotel guests coming to watch the summer Olympic games.

Brownback produced a translated version of a document from China's Public Security Bureau that requires hotels to use the monitoring equipment.

[read more]

[image of former US Press Sec. Ari Fleischer via blackberry.com]

fritzdoss · #2 08-04-2008 -

I just wouldnt go on the trip. Can't live without the crack! (berry that is)

acljoe · #3 08-04-2008 -

whoever wrote this article is a freaking flunky.

They are saying in essence that the Chinese can crack both 3DES and S/MIME, along with being able to intercept the messages.

Nice try I guess for an intern.

jerms · #4 08-04-2008 -

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~
Man, what if they used iPhones.. Can u imagine the problems then..They might as well use phones with a OS as reliable as Win 3.1 then!!!

**jrockett** · #5 08-05-2008 -

Quote:

Originally Posted by acljoe

whoever wrote this article is a freaking flunky.

They are saying in essence that the Chinese can crack both 3DES and S/MIME, along with being able to intercept the messages.

Nice try I guess for an intern.

I was thinking the same thing. The Chinese are good, but I didn't think they were THAT good.

kingrykku27 · #6 08-05-2008 -

They can always try anyways. And if for some reason they actually do crack it, that would be very bad.

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

kreesedup · #7 08-05-2008 -

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~I would think, the gov is more worried about a bb getting "lost" or swiped, rather than hacked.

ConstantineXVI · #8 08-05-2008 -

Quote:

Originally Posted by acljoe

whoever wrote this article is a freaking flunky.

They are saying in essence that the Chinese can crack both 3DES and S/MIME, along with being able to intercept the messages.

Nice try I guess for an intern.

I'm pretty sure modern BlackBerrys support AES, and they'd be fools to not use it. And if you REALLY need extra protection, you can buy PGP support.

p00rcoll3geboi · #9 08-05-2008 -

What can't us Chinese crack lol. There's a reason why China has the highest piracy rate in the world

RCode · #10 08-05-2008 -

Nothing is impossible, if there is sensitive information, they will find a way to crack it. Just as easily as something can be built, it can be taken apart.

needcaffeine · #11 08-05-2008 -

what a load of B.S., if they think the Chinese are any better crackers then anyone else they're living in some dream. Plus I thought the BB was one the few devices which very hard to crack, thus the DoD, etc used them.

I'm currently in China, and it's working fine for me....then again, I'm not POTUS, but I do have high security turned on on my device...b/c plenty I've given to people here have gone missing....though that's why you password protect them....and wipe them when on a BES, which surely the Gov't is on, as they use IT policies.

**j llama** · #12 08-05-2008 -

This is typical Misinformation from the White House.

The BlackBerry isn't some Nokia you can bluejack.

**MotoUp** · #13 08-05-2008 -

The encryption levels of BB's are crazy high, it just isn't gonna happen.

**GaryF** · #14 08-05-2008 -

Well then I guess they will be reading all my mail for the next 2 weeks., so you guys be carefull what you email me!

I leave tomorrow and I never leave home without my berry!

I wonder if Pinstack will be blocked from the hotel internet

**j llama** · #15 08-05-2008 -

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryF

Well then I guess they will be reading all my mail for the next 2 weeks., so you guys be carefull what you email me!

I leave tomorrow and I never leave home without my berry!

I wonder if Pinstack will be blocked from the hotel internet

Keep us updated on whether you have access or not.

(I guess if you can't get over the Great Firewall of China, you won't be able to let us know lol)