Mobile Security and BlackBerry MDM/MAM Application

This paper discusses mobile computing and security based on BlackBerry MDM/MAM application. It covers the brief description of MDM/MAM, BlackBerry MDM, comparison between BlackBerry and MobileIron MDMs, solution designation requirements, and logical diagram.

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Executive summary
Au and Choo defines mobile security as the protection of handheld computer devices such as
laptops, tablets, smartphones and networks they connect to, from vulnerabilities and threats
associated with mobility computing (Au & Choo, 2016).

Table of Contents
Executive summary...............................................................................................................................2
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................4
Brief description of MDM/MAM......................................................................................................4
Blackberry MDM..................................................................................................................................5
Proxy Mode...................................................................................................................................6
End-to-End Mode..........................................................................................................................6
Comparison between BlackBerry and MobileIron MDMs....................................................................7
Architecture...................................................................................................................................7
Installation Platforms.....................................................................................................................7
Supported Devices:........................................................................................................................8
Technical approach........................................................................................................................8
Solution Designation Requirements......................................................................................................8
Logical Diagram....................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
General Locomotives like any other companies in the recent times of technology puts
emphasis in the deployment of new and latest technology. This majorly entails use of
enterprise mobility. For instance, General Locomotives are capable of receiving and replying
emails over their handheld devices. This is achieved through the browser or application
option.
However, as it is well known there lurks a number of hackers who would want to enter into
business or organizational information technology with their attitudes well known to them.
Mobile security comes into place to counter the actions of the hackers (Bergman, et al.,
2013).
In this paper, we will discuss mobile computing and security basing our discussion on
Blackberry MDM/MAM application. Security to mobile devices has become major
concern in recent years due to increased use of number mobile devices in organizations. The
problem is coupled within business enterprises as the continued trend towards IT
consumerization has led to more and more employee-owned devices connecting to
organizations network. Major security threats to mobile security are: Application insecurity,
Device theft, Malware attacks, Device leakage and Device loss.
Brief description of MDM/MAM
MDM abbreviates Mobile Device Management. It is practiced in form of software that
business enterprises can deploy to control, enforce policies, lock down and encrypt mobile
devices named above.
MDM software provides IT department team with ability to have full control over mobile
devices. IT department essentially can do anything with the device (Turban, et al., 2017).
This must be awesome. However, how many of you would want their personal devices be
controlled by somebody somewhere?
Mobile Application Management (MAM) came into place to provide a solution to the above
question. MAM is similar to MDM except for it provides to IT department full control of a
particular mobile application rather full control of every application of the mobile device. The
idea in general that Mobile Application Management is that IT department can lock down,
secure and control their organizational applications whereas everything else is left for the
mobile device user. Additionally, Mobile Information Management (MIM) is another mobile

computing technology that is being embraced. MIM can be described as a cloud based
service that synchronizes documents and files across different mobile devices. Such cloud
services include but are not limited to Google drive, Box, Microsoft SkyDrive, Dropbox that
are for personal use. WatchDox, Citrix ShareFile, RES HyperDrive and Vmware Octopus are
examples of corporate MIM application (Pierer, 2016 ).
Blackberry MDM
Bagchus defines Blackberry as an enterprise solution that allow IT department to mobilize at
workplace. Employees can make timely decisions on basis of the best information available,
hence, increased productivity and boosted business performance. The Blackberry Enterprise
lets mobile users to have access to information and communication wirelessly. This is
through emailing and texting the organizer and the corporate data (Bagchus, 2013). It has
provided corporates benefits that include but not limited to lowest total cost and flexibility of
operations. For flexibility benefit, blackberry provides leading email platforms, applications
from a range of vendors and back-end systems. It also allows IT department to manage
numerous messaging servers, wireless network technologies, devices and enterprise systems
through only one Blackberry Enterprise Server. It allows business corporates to keep their
workers connected to their information, while profiting from a low generally total cost of
operation. This kind of solution provides good stored data and wireless data security.
Wireless data security, rsa secure-id and end-to-end enciphering two factor authentication are
deployed. In the end-to-end enciphering, the mobile blackberry enterprise resolution delivers
two transportation enciphering options, triple information encryption standard and advanced
encryption standard for every data transmitted amongst blackberry smartphones and
Blackberry enterprise servers. .Every secret key kept singly in the operator’s protected
enterprise account like Ms. Exchange and on BlackBerry handheld smartphone. It can be
restored wirelessly by the operator (Schaefer & Rossberg, 2016).
Data transmitted to Blackberry handheld smartphone is always encrypted by the BlackBerry
Enterpriser server by use of private key obtained from client’s mailbox. Encrypted data is
transmitted securely transversely the network to end handheld device where is deciphered
with a key deposited there. Information remains enciphered during transmission and is never
deciphered outside the company firewall. The RSA secure-id 2-factor offers corporates with
added authorizations when operators access the application info or company intranets on
BlackBerry phones.

BlackBerry mobile info system services make use of RSA agent/ace approval API 5.0 to
border to RSA servers. Operators are prompted for username and OTP secret word when they
visit the application or site that requires authorization (Hu & Wen-Chen, 2010).
BlackBerry Mobile Information System services act as the secure gateway amid corporate
intranets and wireless network and internet. They leverage BlackBerry Triple DES or AES
enciphering means of transport and similarly support https links to application software
servers. Https communication is supported by BlackBerry smartphones in one of the two
modes. This is dependent on the commercial company security requests.
Proxy Mode: the tls/ssl connection is established application server and the BlackBerry
Enterprise Server in the best interests of BlackBerry smartphones. The information from
application software server is at that moment Triple DES or AES enciphered and transmitted
via the wireless link to BlackBerry phones.
End-to-End Mode: Information is enciphered over tls/ssl for the whole connection amongst
the application server and BlackBerry smartphones. This makes end-to-end mode links more
suitable for applications wherever only operation end-points are reliable. Smartphones for
BlackBerry have applications created using BlackBerry jde which has specific functionality
like ability to execute on the startup or to access possibly supersensitive BlackBerry
smartphone application information, necessitates developers to register their application with
Research in Motion. This methodology complements protection by offering a superior rank
of control and expectedness to the loading and behavior of the application software on the
BlackBerry smartphones. In addition, BlackBerry registering authority facility can aid protect
access to functionality and information of third party application utility by enabling
organizational administrators or developers manage access to the specific sensitive API and
information data centers via use of server-side application software and private and public
signature. To assist secure BlackBerry MDS Studio application programs from interfering,
organizational developers can register the application program bundled with the digital
certificate (Santos & Block, 2012).
They can deploy both a generated certificate or trusted certificate authority. The BlackBerry
MDS studio creates and cyphers applications with licenses that are in order with public key
infrastructure standard. For put in storage information security, BlackBerry Enterprise
Solution covers wireless device and corporate security and provides administrators and
developers with facilities to manage the security.

To protect data kept on BlackBerry handheld smartphones, secret word authentication can be
made compulsory via the customizable Information Technology of BlackBerry Enterprise
Server. Passcode authentication is restricted to less than ten attempts by default, after which
the smartphone’s memory is wiped away.
Local enciphering of all information can also be enforced through IT policy. For the passcode
custodian, advanced encryption standard enciphering technology allows secret word entries
to be kept securely on the handheld device. Furthermore, system administrators are able to
develop and send wireless instructions to remotely alter BlackBerry smartphone secret words
and delete or lock data from stolen or lost BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry Enterprise
Server Security (BESS) is another form of security as it does not store information or email.
It increases the security from unauthorized parties by ensuring there is no staging area
between BlackBerry smartphone and the server where data is deciphered (Satish Bommisetty,
2014).
Security is supplementary enhanced by consenting only outbound-initiated, authenticated
connections via port 3101 of a firewall. There is no inbound traffic is allowed from sources
apart from the email server or BlackBerry smartphone. This implies that unapproved
commands can’t be performed on the system. Communications that can only be deciphered
are the ones with a valid encryption key between the wireless network and the server.
Comparison between BlackBerry and MobileIron MDMs
Architecture: MobileIron architecture hybrid-based. It has two types of Communication
servers which makes it hybrid. They include: Cloud Communication Server (which is a
communication server installed in the cloud and there is no need to install the server) and
local communication server (which is locally deployed on the premise). On the hand,
BlackBerry architecture is cloud-based. BlackBerry UEM Cloud service has a BlackBerry
Connectivity Node that is installed on corporate’s firewall controlling incoming and outgoing
traffic.
Installation Platforms: BlackBerry is supported with windows server 2008 and above.
MobileIron supports VMware ESX or Microsoft Hyper-V. However, MobileIron Core can be
established as a standalone hardware appliance.

Supported Devices: BlackBerry supported devices are BlackBerry PlayBook, BlackBerry
smartphones, Android and iOS. MobileIron on the other hand supports three major mobile
platforms namely Google’s Android, Microsoft Windows Phone and Apple’s iOS.
Technical approach: Technically, MobileIron is a subscription-based SaaS service. It has a
mobile connecter deployed on-premises data center, and ensures that cloud Connected Cloud
syncs with enterprise resources such as Active Directory and LDAP. BlackBerry Enterprise
Solution has a UEM that is cloud-based service that allows management of corporate devices.
This is achieved through use of Connectivity Node which is a component installed on
corporate’s firewall (Mukherjea, 2016).
Solution Designation Requirements
 BlackBerry UEM Cloud: BlackBerry UEM Cloud service allows system
administrators to manage mobile devices used by corporate’s environment.
 BlackBerry Dynamics NOC and Infrastructure: BlackBerry Dynamics NOC
operations center provides secured communications between BlackBerry control,
Proxy and Enterprise Mobility Server and BlackBerry Dynamics apps on mobility
devices.
 BlackBerry Infrastructure: BlackBerry Infrastructure is installed to register operator
information for mobility device activation and validation licensing information.
 Third-party content servers and application: BlackBerry UEM requires connection to
application and content servers in corporate’s environment. These servers include
mail, company directory, etc.
 BEMS and BlackBerry plug-ins: BlackBerry works with added plug-ins such as
BlackBerry 2FA, Workspaces, Enterprise Identity and BlackBerry WorkLife allowing
extended management activities.

Logical Diagram
References
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Future Research Directions. New York City: Elsevier Science & Technology Books.
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Schaefer, G. & Rossberg, ., 2016. Security in Fixed and Wireless Networks. 2nd ed.
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