Specifications

How the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
manages permissions for apps
The authorization manager is the part of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS that evaluates requests from apps to access the
capabilities of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Capabilities include taking a photograph and recording audio. The PlayBook
OS invokes the authorization manager when an app starts to set the permissions for the capabilities that the app uses.
When an app starts, it might prompt the user to allow access to a capability. The authorization manager can store a
permission that the user grants access to and apply the permission the next time that the app starts.
How the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet verifies
the software that it runs
How the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet verifies the boot
ROM code
The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet uses an authentication method that verifies that the boot ROM code is permitted to run on
the tablet. The manufacturing process installs the boot ROM code in the processor on the tablet and the RIM signing
authority system uses an RSA public key to sign the boot ROM code. The tablet stores information that it can use to verify
the digital signature of the boot ROM code.
When a user turns on a tablet, the processor runs internal ROM code that reads the boot ROM from memory and verifies
the digital signature of the boot ROM code using the RSA public key. If the verification process completes, the boot ROM is
permitted to run on the tablet. If the verification process cannot complete, the tablet stops running.
How the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet verifies the
BlackBerry PlayBook OS and its file system
If the boot ROM code is permitted to run on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the boot ROM code verifies the BlackBerry
PlayBook OS. The PlayBook OS is digitally signed using EC 521 with a series of private keys. The boot ROM code uses the
Security Technical Overview The BlackBerry PlayBook OS
114