Specifications
Extending messaging security on
BlackBerry 10 devices using S/MIME
protection
You can extend messaging security for the BlackBerry Device Service and permit users to send S/MIME-protected email
messages on BlackBerry 10 devices. Users do not have to install additional software on devices to support S/MIME
protection. Users can configure S/MIME preferences on devices in the BlackBerry Hub settings, including choosing
certificates and encoding methods. Users can manage certificates on their devices in the Security and Privacy section of
the System Settings.
If devices do not have S/MIME support turned on, devices will not be able to send signed or encrypted email messages. To
send encrypted email messages, a user must have the recipient's public key on their device. To read encrypted email
messages, a user must have their private key on their device or on a smart card. If users do not have their private keys on
their devices, the devices will not be able to read S/MIME-encrypted messages, and the devices will display the message,
"Unable to decode the message because you do not have the corresponding private key".
To send digitally signed email messages, a user must have their private key on the device.
The BlackBerry Device Service uses email profiles to configure S/MIME settings on devices. You can configure the following
S/MIME profile settings:
S/MIME profile setting Description
S/MIME messages You can specify whether S/MIME is enabled on a device.
• Allowed: users can choose whether or not to enable S/MIME on the device.
This is the default value. S/MIME is not enabled on the device and must be
enabled by users.
• Required: S/MIME is automatically enabled on the device and cannot be
disabled by users
• Disallowed: S/MIME is automatically disabled on the device and cannot be
enabled by users
Digitally signed S/MIME messages You can make digital signing of outgoing messages allowed, required, or
disallowed:
• Allowed: users can choose whether or not to digitally sign S/MIME messages
(default value)
• Required: users must send digitally signed messages
• Disallowed: users cannot send digitally signed messages
Security Technical Overview Extending messaging security on BlackBerry 10 devices
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