Installation guide

BlackBerry Enterprise Solution Security

Controlling BlackBerry devices 41

BlackBerry Enterprise Solution

security method

Description

code signing

• RIM controls the use of APIs that include sensitive packages,

classes, or methods to prevent unauthorized, malicious applications

from accessing data on the BlackBerry device. Before you or a user

can run a third-party application that uses the RIM-controlled APIs

on the BlackBerry device, RIM’s signing authority system must use

public key cryptography to authorize and authenticate the

application code. The third-party application developer must visit

www.blackberry.com/developers/downloads/jde/api.shtml to

controlled APIs and use the BlackBerry Signature Tool that is a

component of the BlackBerry JDE to request, receive, and verify a

digital code signature from RIM for the application. RIM does not

inspect or verify third-party applications.

• Third party application developers who create controlled access

third-party APIs can act as a signing authority for those APIs. The

application developer can download and install the BlackBerry

Signing Authority Tool to enable other developers to register for

access to the application developer’s controlled APIs. Registered

developers can use their BlackBerry Signature Tool to request,

receive, and verify digital code signatures from the application

developer’s BlackBerry Signing Authority Tool for their

applications. Each third-party application requires authorization to

run on the BlackBerry device. MIDlets (applications that use

standard MIDP and CLDC APIs only) cannot write to memory on a

BlackBerry device, access the memory of other applications, or

access the persistent data of other MIDlets unless they are digitally

signed by RIM’s signing authority system. See the BlackBerry

Signing Authority Tool Administrator Guide for more information.

using IT policy rules

The BlackBerry Enterprise Server includes IT policy rules that are

designed to enable you to control third-party applications by

configuring

• whether or not the BlackBerry device can download third-party

applications

• whether or not third-party applications on the BlackBerry device

can use BlackBerry device ports for communication

• whether or not third-party applications on the BlackBerry device

can use persistent storage on the BlackBerry device

Note: You cannot use IT policy to permit or prevent downloading

specific applications on the BlackBerry device.