BlackBerry Priv’s Security And Privacy Features Under Android Platform Outlined By The Company

The BlackBerry Priv has garnered much attention after the Canadian tech giant announced the move to Android platform from BlackBerry 10.3 OS. To top it off, the company is also bringing back the retro slider QWERTY keyboard.

However, there were doubts whether BlackBerry will be able to maintain its unique selling point i.e. “security and privacy.” BlackBerry sensed the need to justify its stand. Hence, a company blog post penned down by Director of Security Alex Manea explains how the Priv remains secure even while running Android OS.

Back in June, CEO John Chen said BlackBerry would use the open source Android OS only if the platform can live up to the security standards laid out by the firm, Phone Arena reported. The new blog post on BlackBerry Priv’s security gives in-depth details about how the company has been able to ensure security and privacy to the device owners even with a new OS on board. It is worth noting that BlackBerry enjoys enterprise crowd’s trust and fandom. And hence, it goes without saying that the company felt the need to assure its customers that there will be no compromise when it comes to security.

BlackBerry has reportedly used the “Hardware Root of Trust,” which injects cryptographic keys into the Priv’s hardware. In addition, the BlackBerry Priv also comes loaded with “Verified Boot and Secure Bootchain,” which helps in ensuring that the device is not tampered with. This verification is apparently done at every layer from hardware components, software to apps.

Other security measures -- part of the upcoming BlackBerry Priv -- include a "hardened Linux kernel,” “default full disk encryption,” “secured and distributed BlackBerry Infrastructure” and “BES12,” which is used by powerful governments and corporations.

This means, BlackBerry Priv is the device to look out for as it brings the world-renowned security model to Google’s Android platform. This device will also have access to the full scope of Google Play Store. Interested BlackBerry fans can check out the official blog post to get more information about the security aspects of BlackBerry Priv.