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Remember when you thought your organization’s data and discussions were reasonably secure as they traversed commercial communications networks? The 2024 Salt Typhoon attack sure blew a hole in that theory. But it also proved something – again: Defenders face a continuously shifting cyberthreat landscape. 

So, what does the cyberthreat frontier look like in 2025? I discussed this with David Wiseman, Vice President of Secure Communications at BlackBerry. He has frequent conversations with governments and industries around the world, which helped inform these five cybersecurity-related predictions for the new year.

Five Cybersecurity Predictions for 2025

1. Telecom Networks are the New Attack Layer for Threat Actors

The year 2025 is set to witness an ongoing shift in the operations of cyber adversaries. Instead of targeting individual devices, these threat actors are focusing attacks on communications infrastructure, like wireless carriers and internet service providers (ISPs). 

“This allows them to bypass device-specific malware and focus on broader infrastructure vulnerabilities,” says Wiseman. “This shift is driven by the interconnectivity of legacy telecom networks and the troves of data they contain, which make them prime targets for threat actors. By compromising these networks, attackers have access to a more extensive range of targets, bypassing traditional security defenses that are device-centric and any need for device-specific malware – including spyware.” 
 
And he warns this trend will likely increase the rate of real-time communications interception, which puts sensitive and classified information at greater risk.

“The recent Salt Typhoon wire-tapping incident which intercepted court-ordered wiretaps, illustrates how telecom networks are becoming a primary vector for attackers. In the coming year, nations and enterprise organizations must prioritize security strategies at the network and infrastructure level, focusing beyond device-centric protections to safeguard critical communication systems from targeted, real-time attacks.”  

2. Unseen Vulnerabilities: The Hidden Risks of 'Free' Communication Apps in 2025 

Wiseman says that, in 2025, espionage at the network level will be just one of many communications-related concerns.  “Mobile spying is on the rise. People should think twice about what they are sharing on so-called ‘free’ messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal.  The perceived security of popular communication apps like these will face growing scrutiny as their vulnerabilities become more apparent in 2025.”

In fact, it was recently found that the group APT41 is using updates to the LightSpy malware campaign to infiltrate common communications systems, notably WhatsApp. 

Says Wiseman, “A rule of thumb: If it is free, you are the product, and your data can be sold, moved, and targeted. This leaves users’ metadata and personal information at risk of exposure or misuse by third parties. This concern goes beyond system availability; it’s about the uncertainty surrounding who has access to sensitive information and what they might do with it. As attackers increasingly weaponize insights from this data, the risks surrounding these tools grow significantly,” he says.

And this is especially true when you consider how some organizations are using these consumer grade applications.

“Many assume these widely used communication apps are secure enough for sensitive information, trusting that their internal security teams would intervene if they weren’t secure. However, these platforms are often used without proper oversight or security controls, exposing both individuals and organizations to unnecessary risk.”

3. Identity Spoofing Will Escalate as AI, Deepfakes, and Exposed Metadata Fuel Sophisticated Attacks  

We’ve been building toward this next issue for some time now, and the risk is growing rapidly. Sophisticated identity spoofing should be a significant concern for all organizations in 2025, for two major reasons. 

First, AI and deepfake technologies and tactics are rapidly advancing to make voices, images, and videos more convincing, and easier to create, than ever before. Imagine how convincing it would be if attackers can imitate the voice of your boss in a call, asking you to join a fake Teams call or to send a confidential document.

Secondly, attackers will continue to leverage personal metadata and ‘listening data’ – such as voice and text from telecom network breaches – that give them up-to-the-minute information to better target victims. 

“Breaches such as AT&T in July, as well as the notable Verizon and T-Mobile breaches in October, have shown us how widely accessible user metadata and real-time communication information have become. This could enable threat actors to tailor their attacks based on previous communications, making their impersonations harder to detect,” predicts Wiseman. 

“In 2025, we will need to be more cognizant of where our data goes, including metadata, and how it’s secured. As attackers weaponize the knowledge of communication patterns and collaborations, the threat of identity spoofing will reach new levels of danger, demanding enhanced security measures to safeguard personal information. I think we’ll also see a greater emphasis on deploying robust secure communications solutions to combat this, beyond the current and widespread use of communication apps.”

4. Secure Communications Will Define the Future of Supply Chain Security in Critical Industries 

In 2025, secure communications will take center stage as a critical component of supply chain security, especially in high-risk sectors like healthcare, finance, and critical infrastructure. 

For additional details on this prediction, I turned to Christine Gadsby, BlackBerry Vice President & CISO for Cybersecurity, who has traveled the globe speaking about supply chain security.

“The interconnected nature of today’s supply chains means security risks now extend beyond primary suppliers to third, fourth, and even eighth-party vendors. When compliance with communications and data privacy is lacking at any point along this chain, it can trigger far-reaching consequences, exposing companies to malicious attacks and operational disruptions.”

Adds Gadsby, “In sectors where data privacy and secure communications are paramount – like finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure – lapses in these areas compromise the entire supply chain, with potentially devastating results. Additionally, regional supply chain security legislation passed in 2024 will need to be complied with in 2025 to avoid punitive fines that are likely for non-compliance.”  

5. Blurring Personal and Professional Boundaries Puts Employees and Organizations—at (Cyber) Risk in 2025   

Your employees will continue to be at risk and can easily expose your organization if they blend their personal and professional lives on their devices, as it creates new entry points for cyberthreats. Also, senior executives and employees with access to “insider” information will certainly face heightened risks as they routinely access their organization’s most sensitive data, as well as personal and restricted information. 
 
Says Wiseman, “Using personal devices and unsecure networks while traveling or conducting sensitive communications, can expose critical vulnerabilities within organizations. Many high-value employees may overlook these risks, assuming their personal devices are safe, but simple practices like syncing with personal Apple/Google IDs can inadvertently expose sensitive data.” 
 
And many threat actors are becoming more targeted in their attacks, choosing quality over quantity.

“They want to know that an attack will be successful, and they are willing to put resources behind it to increase the chance of success. While full compliance with established securities protocols is critical and a strong first step, we’re finding (and will continue to see throughout 2025) that existing security controls are insufficient.” 

Concluding Thoughts About Security in 2025

Because there are cracks in any armor, this is a good time to assess your communication methods and fortify against pervasive interception tactics at both the network and device levels. Securing your communications is no longer optional, but a crucial part of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy in 2025.

How BlackBerry SecuSUITE and UEM Can Help  

Organizations around the world have trusted BlackBerry for secure and efficient communications for four decades. BlackBerry no longer makes devices, but we continue to protect the world’s most critical and sensitive communications between governments, industries and individuals – maintaining national security and keeping troops, politicians and executives, safe.  

We secure them all with our military-grade secure communications software and easy-to-use tools incorporated into BlackBerry® SecuSUITE® and BlackBerry® Unified Endpoint Management (UEM).  

BlackBerry SecuSUITE provides high security voice and messaging for iOS® and Android™ and has multiple NIAP (Common Criteria) certifications. It is listed as a Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) compliant product to meet the highest security requirements for the U.S. Federal Government and the broader Five Eyes intelligence alliance.  

BlackBerry UEM helps ensure total cybersecurity coverage for all workflows, on any device, anywhere — and segregates sensitive corporate data on each device. For the second consecutive year, BlackBerry is placed in the upper right quadrant of the Gartner® Peer Insights™ 'Voice of the Customer' UEM Tools report. 

Make 2025 the year you join the world’s largest and most secure organizations that use BlackBerry SecuSUITE and BlackBerry UEM to protect communications and data.  

Related Reading

• Are WhatsApp and Signal Secure Enough for Confidential or Secret Communications?

• Salt Typhoon and the Hybrid Digital Workforce: Ongoing Risk and What It Means for UEM

• The Hidden Risks in Telecom Networks and How to Safeguard Your Organization

For similar blogs and news delivered right to your inbox, please subscribe to the BlackBerry Blog.

It was not long ago that it seemed our discussions and data were reasonably secure as they traversed well known ISP and communications networks.

We understand now that this was a false sense of security given the long-term Salt Typhoon attacks against communications infrastructure. The attacks reveal what can happen to our data and our most sensitive information and conversations unless we take secure communications into our own hands.

To explore what, exactly, this means, I recently hosted a webinar with fellow leaders at BlackBerry. And in case you haven’t been keeping track, BlackBerry is a global secure communications leader trusted by governments and highly regulated organizations. BlackBerry CEO John J. Giamatteo recently explained why: “I am proud to say we offer the world’s most comprehensive, highly secure, and extensively certified portfolio for critical communications, purpose-built to handle sensitive and even top secret level data.”

Discussion: The Future of Secure Communications

It is time we take a moment and ask ourselves: what are we doing to secure our communications? As it turns out, using consumer-grade tools is not enough.

Watch The Future of Secure Communications on demand or keep reading for excerpts from the discussion.

Why the Salt Typhoon Attacks Cut So Deep 

Paul Webber, BlackBerry: “This is very deliberate. The nature of these threats allows the attackers to monitor activity and access unprotected data without being detected. And since there's no need to apply any tools or malware to end-users’ devices, for instance, and therefore little likelihood that we're going to see any detections by things like endpoint security tools, all of this means it can be carrying on for large periods of time.  
 
“The attackers were able to use the exploits to compromise the network appliances, but then also access poorly protected admin credentials, and when they have those elevated privileges, obviously they can cover their own tracks as well. So you can't really be sure, even once you've detected this activity, that you've fully evicted them from the network, because when they have those privileges, they can keep deleting their own records and tracks and logs."

Fallout: Lost Confidence in Secure Communications

David Wiseman, BlackBerry: “My perspective is we have to assume that the networks are compromised globally, and from a telecommunications perspective, that's almost by design because telecommunication networks are designed for reachability. You can pick up a phone. You can reach anyone in the world. You know security has to be secondary to that, right? So therefore, you need to assume that the networks are compromised. Then you need to take actions as an organization, and as an individual, with that assumption in place. You have to protect your data and protect your communications, because you still need to traverse the [commercial] networks.”

Why Applications like WhatsApp and Signal Are Not Enough

“When people think about security and their communications, they're thinking about interception and ‘If I encrypt everything, end to end, that's going to be good. I'll be safe,’ says Wiseman. “That's certainly better than not encrypting it, but when we think about the free applications, they're all built on the model of building as large a user base as possible. They’re open to anyone, and it's still open to public registration. And I think that's kind of the first entry point people need to think about, is, can you be confident about who you're talking with?”

And as BlackBerry’s Shil Sircar pointed out during the discussion, generative AI is making that question much harder to answer in open environments, where anyone can claim to be anyone. “There is evidence that fraudsters impersonated various CEOs in WhatsApp accounts and calls. With voice data trained with these executives on YouTube footage, whether it's video or voice and employees, for example, receiving these multimedia elements where threat actors are impersonating and in a very convincing way with these types of generative AI technologies.”

This is one way you lose a critical piece of secure communications control when you use mass-market apps. But it’s not the only way, because a familiar rule also applies: If it’s free, you are the product. And the platform sets the terms and conditions, but your organization does not.

BlackBerry’s Webber summed it up nicely during the webinar: 
“All of these tools tend to have some form of file-sharing capability. The problem with that is that the rules of engagement are usually that anything you share with a collaborating third party on those services becomes their property, and you don't have any retrospective way of deleting that data. And I think people that have true need to share sensitive data and classified data want the facility to do things like revoke access to that data retrospectively, maybe six weeks or six months later, and you can't do that in a publicly hosted service at all.”

How to Regain Control and Confidence in Your Secure Communications

 There is a path forward, utilizing the right secure communications strategy and tools, which BlackBerry’s Wiseman summarized quite well during our conversation. 
 
“The implication of that is that any type of public system is probably not going to be appropriate for security focused organizations. Going forward, you're going to need a system you control where sovereignty belongs to your organization. You're controlling the data and life cycles and you are controlling who is in the system. You also have confidence in the encryption and the validations that it's gone through. In some sense, it’s a move back to private comms and away from the push that's gone on for a couple of decades around more and more public communications.”

For the full discussion, watch The Future of Secure Communications.

Learn More About a Secure Communications Platform

Hopefully, these excerpts helped clarify why governments and highly regulated organizations must now take secure communications back into their own hands. BlackBerry provides secure and critical communications solutions to every G7 nation and most G20 countries, along with servicing 8 of the world's 10 biggest banks. 

To learn more, explore BlackBerry® SecuSUITE® here, or reach out to have a conversation. Working together, we’ll help you regain trust that your communications can remain secure, even if they travel over potentially compromised infrastructure.

Related Reading

• Are WhatsApp and Signal Secure Enough for Confidential or Secret Communications?

• NATO Selects BlackBerry's Encrypted Voice Technology to Secure its Calls

• BlackBerry SecuSUITE Awarded Updated NIAP/Common Criteria and CSfC Certification for Secure Communication

For similar articles and news delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the BlackBerry Blog.

© The Canberra Times/ACM. Reprinted with permission.

Recent high-profile breaches of major global telecom networks, and a rise in spying on mobiles, reveals a growing and often underestimated threat to national and organizational security. That is, the networks and communication tools that make global communications accessible, connected and efficient, are also exposing sensitive data to unprecedented risks.

For organizations that rely on secure, confidential communications, the use of telecom networks and consumer-grade messaging apps such as Whatsapp and Signal to share government or commercially-sensitive information could mean exposure of trade secrets, personal health data, military location information or national security data to threat actors with malicious intent.

Understanding the Breach: Telecom Networks as a Target for Cyber Espionage

In the United States recently, cyber-espionage campaigns linked to foreign governments successfully targeted national telecom providers, exploiting their networks to intercept the communications of high-profile individuals, including political figures in the Trump and Harris campaigns in the runway to the election. Said to be lurking in the networks for more than a year, this wasn’t a case of mere data theft—attackers were able to tap into real-time data streams, intercepting voice calls, SMS messages, and mining communication metadata, which is a goldmine for gathering intelligence. Metadata provides a detailed picture of relationships and communication patterns, granting threat actors unprecedented insights into a target’s network.

For instance, attackers can learn not only who communicated with whom but also when, where, and how often. Such data, often overlooked by organizations in the category of ‘cyber risk’, can reveal key aspects of operations and priorities for individuals or organizations. In addition to traditional intelligence purposes, this information can be exploited for disinformation campaigns, targeted phishing, blackmail, or identity spoofing, all of which can be detrimental to organizational integrity.

Secure Communications Gaps within Public Telecommunications Networks

The essential design of public telecom networks prioritizes connectivity and reach, making it easy for any number to call or text any other number worldwide. This very feature, however, introduces vulnerabilities, as telecom providers establish automated interconnections to facilitate global coverage. Security, in many cases, becomes a secondary consideration, creating a fertile ground for exploits. For instance, many carriers still use outdated signaling protocols that are vulnerable to interception, allowing attackers to redirect and tap calls without user knowledge. This has led to the rise of "interception as a service" schemes, where attackers or competitors can essentially hire services to access confidential calls or messages.

What’s more concerning is the exposure created by carrier-interconnect protocols, which allow malicious actors to access cellular roaming data and redirect calls. This isn’t just a theoretical concern; there are already documented cases of espionage and interference on these networks. For government officials, corporate executives, military leaders, and law enforcement personnel, this vulnerability can mean that sensitive discussions are vulnerable to surveillance.

The High Stakes of Metadata Compromise

Metadata, often dismissed as less valuable than content data, can be instrumental in revealing critical insights. Through metadata like Call Detail Records (CDRs) or Message Detail Records (MDRs), threat actors can map out communication patterns — who is talking to whom, at what times, and for how long. This also applies to metadata available from consumer-grade messaging apps, which can include location, profile, email address, phone numbers, call volume, groups you belong to and more. Access to these patterns can expose organizational workflows, highlight relationships, and even help identify strategic decisions. For example, if a government leader communicates repeatedly with a particular advisor at unusual times, it may signal a high-stakes decision or sensitive planning.

The recent compromise of metadata in telecom breaches, including AT&T’s announcement of a large-scale metadata compromise, exposes a new layer of vulnerability. With metadata, adversaries can spoof identities to impersonate trusted contacts and infiltrate conversations, enabling sophisticated social engineering and phishing attacks. The latest Verizon breach took this a step further, as threat actors accessed not just historical metadata but real-time data, allowing for immediate exploitation of communication patterns and behaviors, which can be especially damaging during sensitive periods, like election cycles or trade negotiations.

Securing Communications: Why Certified Mobile Security Is Essential

End-to-end encryption is just the starting line. The destination is to ensure communications data remains on sovereign networks and can’t be intercepted, listened to or extracted. With Signal, for example, governments have no knowledge of where their data is being processed and what type of archiving and mining may be occurring.

To mitigate such risks, organizations — particularly in government and high-stakes industries such as critical infrastructure, energy and healthcare — must adopt more robust mobile security measures that protect the integrity of the device, and trusted ‘out-of-band’ solutions that continue to operate if networks go down.

Solutions such as BlackBerry’s SecuSUITE protects communications through the network. For employees it is easy to use; they can tap on an app deployed on their existing device just like any other, except with military-grade encryption. For governments, it promises full control over their users, data and if needed, system infrastructure - protecting the entire communication process from interception and eavesdropping. This, plus the ability to completely segregate sensitive information on the device, are particularly critical for teams handling classified or secret information, proprietary data, or high-level discussions that demand confidentiality.

The Way Forward: How Organizations Can Strengthen Communication Security

At a time when communication espionage is on the rise, and threat actors are using AI to ‘deepfake’ voice calls and texts using stolen data, maintaining sovereignty over communications has become an operational and national security imperative. 

Within this evolving threat landscape, organizations must adopt a proactive approach to secure their communications infrastructure. Deploying solutions that offer certified end-to-end encryption can ensure confidentiality, validate user identities, and safeguard against interception on vulnerable networks up to top-secret level. When evaluating security solutions, organizations should look for tools that provide comprehensive protection, including secure calling and messaging that maintains integrity even on international networks, while maintaining ease of use.

In addition to investing in robust security solutions, educating teams about the risks associated with public telecom networks, the appropriate use of personal communication apps at work, and other best practices for secure communication is equally important. As espionage tactics evolve, so must an organization’s vigilance in protecting sensitive information.

In an era where telecom networks are increasingly susceptible to state-sponsored attacks, or targeted mobile interception, securing communications infrastructures isn’t just a technical challenge — it’s a strategic necessity that underpins organizational resilience. By putting communication security first, organizations can uphold data integrity, protect national interests, and ensure their competitive edge remains safeguarded.

Related Reading

• Government, Critical Infrastructure, and the Future of Secure Communications

• Are WhatsApp and Signal Secure Enough for Confidential or Secret Communications?

• NATO Selects BlackBerry's Encrypted Voice Technology to Secure its Calls

• BlackBerry SecuSUITE Awarded Updated NIAP/Common Criteria and CSfC Certification for Secure Communication

For similar articles and news delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the BlackBerry Blog.

These are busy times if you’re a thought leader and expert in secure communications. Just ask David Wiseman, who is Vice President of Secure Communications at BlackBerry. Since the Salt Typhoon attacks against communications infrastructure revealed The Hidden Risks in Telecom Networks, Wiseman’s appeared in dozens of publications, podcasts and newscasts around the globe.  

Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise, since Wiseman is an expert on BlackBerry® SecuSUITE® which currently secures communications at NATO, the world’s largest governments, and leading enterprise organizations.

One of his recent appearances was on Ticker News, which covers breaking news in business, markets, politics and technology. Wiseman was asked about the state of cybersecurity when it comes to securing phone calls, text messages and the related data.

Overview of Secure Communications Risk 

Here is a brief transcript of Wiseman's interview, which was an easy to follow conversation around the new challenges organizations and governments face, related to secure communications.

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
Let's talk about the biggest threats in 2025 when it comes to cyberthreats, what do you see? 

David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE:  
I think the fact that telecom networks are the primary targets, and threat actors are really going after people's data on the network versus on their devices, is the big story for the year.

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
That is incredible, right? Apple talks a lot about its privacy. Everyone talks a lot about their privacy, and it's a huge deal on-device. We see billboards all over the place, but the idea that it [an attack] actually could be happening within the network. How does that happen?  

David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE:  
If we look at the Salt Typhoon attacks in the United States that targeted government officials as well as, it turns out, the broader population: Basically, they're able to intercept at the network level including voice calls, messages, and who you're communicating with. This is really driving a new set of attacks where they don't have to get to your phone specifically.

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
Wow. So when you say messages, do you mean the data messages, or do you mean the old-fashioned text messages. Is there any difference?  

David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE:  
Primarily, this would be the traditional text messages. One of the things that CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) recommended is that people move to end-to-end encrypted application messaging, which can help mitigate at least portions of the problem. 

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
I mean, that's what Blackberry has always been famous for, right, in terms of that end-to-end encryption, as well. Talk to us about cybersecurity as a plan, and what you have witnessed throughout your career as things change, and particularly, recently.  

David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE:  
It's a never-ending battle on the cybersecurity front, and as you move to new applications, new platforms, there are new ways of attacking it. But at the end of the day, the overall goal is the same. How can some people get information that's valuable from you and either use that against you or use that for their own financial benefit? 
 
We've gone from either malware attacks to ransomware attacks and now it's becoming very targeted, very individualistic. One of the things we need to think about is that the telephone networks were designed for reachability. Anyone can reach anyone. They weren't primarily designed for security, and that's always going to be the case. But also, as you move to this end-to-end encryption, you must start thinking about deep fake identity attacks.  

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
It’s funny, if you watch documentaries about the Cold War, they've got these devices that attach to phone lines. And that's how they're able to spy on what different people were doing and the work happening in governments. As a private individual, I often hear these stories, and there's probably people watching this right now thinking: Well, if I was a government worker, I'd probably be in a bit of trouble, and especially if I was a prime minister or a president, someone might be trying to listen to what I have to say. But as a private individual and citizen who works for an organization, how big a threat do you see it? And how can we protect against these sorts of risks?  

David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE: 
I think individuals that work for larger corporations and larger entities, particularly those that work globally, are actually a threat in terms of economic espionage, in terms of IP (intellectual property) being stolen. And you may not feel that the information you specifically are sharing, or talking with someone about, is that important. But with the AI ability to aggregate and sift through millions of these captured sets of information, they can easily be consolidated into a theft of very valuable information — by combining information across multiple conversations.  

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young: 
I mentioned BlackBerry before. What role does BlackBerry play in tackling these sorts of threats?  

David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE: 
We focus on secure communications. Historically, we've done a lot of protecting the devices themselves from attack and helping you manage those and while we continue to do that, we also specialize in encrypted communications with government grade security. We've been doing that for over a decade, but we now provide that capability to both businesses and governments around the world. The end-to-end encryption is just the first step. We take it to the next level of giving you the same security you need as though you were a government official transmitting secret information.  

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
So David, you've got a pretty incredible title, meaning that you're right at the forefront of this. You've been watching developments and you've been watching this change. How is it changing? How big of a threat has it become?  
 
David Wiseman, BlackBerry SecuSUITE: 
I think it's become a really huge threat because of the amount of information that can be quickly consolidated now by applying the AI models. You can start to tune and build deep fakes. You can trick people into giving you information at a scale that was never possible before, and with the advances in data lakes and the ability to aggregate this information over time, the risks are much higher that someone's going to get valuable information from observing the communications of a particular person or a particular company.  

Ticker News Anchor Ahron Young:  
David Wiseman, from BlackBerry, we appreciate your time here on Ticker from DC.

Communications Security: Learn More 

The Salt Typhoon attacks against internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunications companies are just the latest examples around intercepted and compromised communications. There are also numerous Communications Security Lessons Learned from Ukraine. 
 
Now is the time to make secure communications part of your organization’s holistic cyber defense. Learn more about BlackBerry SecuSUITE, or reach out for a conversation.  

Related Reading

• The Invisible War: Interception, Espionage, and the Need for Enhanced National Security 

• Are WhatsApp and Signal Secure Enough for Confidential or Secret Communications? 

• BlackBerry SecuSUITE Awarded Updated NIAP/Common Criteria and CSfC Certification for Secure Communication Amidst Rise of ‘Balloon-Based’ Nation-State Spying Efforts

For similar articles and news delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the BlackBerry Blog.

With the security of messaging apps once again in question, here is everything you need to know about ensuring the highest levels of security for high-stakes government communications.

Only one solution is certified to meet all the requirements for modern, government-grade communications security: BlackBerry^® SecuSUITE^® from BlackBerry Secure Communications.

The Eroding Trust in Consumer Messaging Apps

Consumer-grade messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram offer basic end-to-end encryption, effectively securing the content of messages. However, encryption alone is just one piece of a much larger secure communication puzzle. These platforms fall critically short in providing four essential guarantees for government and critical infrastructure entities:

1. Identity Assurance
Self-registration mechanisms of consumer apps introduce risks like identity spoofing and unauthorized access. Cybercriminals can exploit these open systems, further threatening sensitive operations with risks of fraud or infiltration.

2. Human Error Protection
When using the same app for personal and official communications it is very easy to accidentally message the wrong person. And when the available user list is anyone in the world the implications can be severe, and you have no way to undo the damage.

3. Metadata Privacy
Even though communications are encrypted, metadata remains exposed in consumer apps. Metadata—which reveals who is communicating, when, and for how long—is as vulnerable as the content itself. Such data can be harvested by adversaries to map connections and gain insights into classified operations.

4. Control Over Data
With consumer apps, organizations relinquish control of where and how their communications data is stored. Often, it resides on external overseas servers, creating potential gaps in jurisdictional and operational security.

In short, consumer apps are ill-equipped to meet the stringent demands required for sensitive communications in government and enterprise sectors.

Elevated Standards for Secure Communications

BlackBerry Secure Communications goes beyond encryption by addressing the critical gaps inherent in consumer-grade platforms. Purpose-built for governments, militaries, and regulated industries, it has robust safeguards that meet the highest security standards.

1. Zero-Trust Identity Verification
Unlike consumer applications, every user in a SecuSUITE system is explicitly verified and authorized on a continuous basis. This zero-trust approach prevents unauthorized individuals from infiltrating sensitive communications networks, eliminating risks tied to self-registration.

2. Comprehensive Metadata Protection
BlackBerry Secure Communications ensures metadata is encrypted and tunneled, making it invisible to any potential adversary. This level of protection creates a communications environment that not only encrypts conversations but also conceals the contextual data surrounding them.

3. Sovereign Data Control
BlackBerry Secure Communications offers tailored deployment models, ranging from on-premises systems to hybrid and sovereign cloud solutions, ensuring your data never leaves your jurisdiction. Governments and enterprises can maintain absolute sovereignty, free from third-party dependencies and foreign infrastructure risks.

Unparalleled Security with Seamless Collaboration

Implementing SecuSUITE delivers real-world advantages that align with the priorities of any security-focused organization:

• Sovereign Control
  Governments maintain full operational ownership of their communications, ensuring that sensitive information is entirely within their control and unexposed to foreign entities.
  

• Prevention of Espionage
  By encrypting conversations, messages, video, and even metadata, SecuSUITE eliminates risks of intercepting communications, protecting operations from both opportunistic hackers and sophisticated espionage campaigns.
  

• Mitigating Impact of Human Errors
  Since your SecuSUITE system is under your control and only trusted people are part of it you cannot accidently include an outsider in your communications. Even if you select the wrong contact, it is still a trusted person. And SecuSUITE allows you to unsend the data shared by mistake with no time restrictions.

• Operational Resilience
  Designed to withstand the most demanding environments, SecuSUITE ensures high availability during crisis events, safeguarding national defense and public safety operations.

Mission-Ready for the Most Sensitive Use Cases

From defense agencies to critical infrastructure providers, organizations using the BlackBerry Secure Communications solution experience significant improvements in security posture. For instance, systems can revoke access to unauthorized users instantly, ensuring secure communication even when mobile devices are compromised or lost.

As the digital and geopolitical landscapes grow increasingly volatile, relying on consumer apps for critical communications is not a gamble anyone can afford. Protect your organization’s operations, reputations, and national interests with BlackBerry Secure Communications.

Related Reading

• Spying on Mobiles: What Governments Need to Know about Preventing Interception and Espionage

• Government, Critical Infrastructure, and the Future of Secure Communications

• Are WhatsApp and Signal Secure Enough for Confidential or Secret Communications?

For similar articles and news delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the BlackBerry Blog.