The new BlackBerry ecosystem has failed the UK government’s high security testing. James Bond isn’t getting a Z10 anytime soon.
The tests were carried out by the UK Government’s Communications-Electronics Security Group, which ratifies hardware and software for use in official capacities. The previous BB 7.1 OS was passed for used in senior governmental positions, but the latest BB10 software — and the Z10 it runs on — has, according to The Guardian, failed to meet certain unspecified security criteria.
It’s a little odd, as secure, switchable account management specifically designed for business power users was one of the BB10’s core aims. BlackBerry has confirmed claims that CESG stamped a big “FAIL” in red in across the BB10’s application, but has not provided any more detail about what went wrong or when we can expect to see a more compliant software update arrive. [The Guardian]
Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix. [clear]