BlackBerry reveals how it will handle Android security patches for the BlackBerry Priv

With the BlackBerry Priv shipping at the end of this week, the manufacturer's first Android flavored handset will soon be in the hands of smartphone users. Many of them have longed for the day when they could use Android on hardware produced by BlackBerry. As BlackBerry has pointed out in a promotional video released for BBS12, as the most popular mobile OS on the planet, Android faces 98% of the malware attacks on mobile devices. That makes it imperative for Priv users to know how BlackBerry plans on handling Android security patches.

According to BlackBerry's blog, monthly security updates from Google will be promptly sent out OTA to Priv buyers who purchased their device from BlackBerry. Some resellers (a category that includes carriers) have agreed to work on getting quick approval for sending out these updates OTA to Priv owners.

Some issues with Android just cannot wait for a monthly response. For these problems, BlackBerry will perform a hotfix, where code that will fix a particular problem will be sent to Priv owners. This is designed for extremely serious problems that require a rapid response. Because the code being sent is very limited, the testing done before the hotfix is sent out is perfunctory, allowing for a quick end to the issue. BlackBerry says that it will have the ability to directly patch all Priv variants.

As far as Enterprise managed updates are concerned, BlackBerry will allow IT departments to take back the control over software updates that it has on PCs, but lost on mobile devices. With BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and management of OTA updates, control of security patches in the enterprise will belong to a firm's IT crew.

It sounds like BlackBerry has given this much thought, as it works to extend the protection of Priv users beyond the security of the device itself. The most interesting development will be with some of the U.S. carriers who have a reputation of not being so timely with their Android updates.


source: BlackBerry via Crackberry