BlackBerry Messenger Spam Circulating Once Again

Posted
by
Kyle McInnes
on April 8, 2010, at 1:00 PM
in News
. Tags: , .
Comments: 27 responses
27 Comments

BlackBerry Messenger is getting hit with spam again, and it’s starting to get a little worrisome about RIM’s ability to keep the message client spam-free. Spam can easily kill a messaging service as everyone has seen with Windows Messenger. I personally don’t log in to Windows Messenger anymore because the second I do, I’m inundated with spam. If this continues, the value of BBM will be seriously diminished.

Here is what the message says:

Hello, greetings from RIM (Research In Motion) proprietors of BlackBerry. This message is to inform all of our users, that our servers have recently been really full, so we are asking for your help to fix this problem. We need our active users to re-send this message to everyone on your contact list inorder to confirm our active users that use BlackBerry Messenger, if you do not send this message to all your BlackBerry Messenger contacts then your account will remain inactive with the consequence of losing all your contacts.

We apologize for the inconvenience but this is the only way possible to resolve this problem. Sincerely Research in Motion. For more information visit:
www.blackberry.com/inactiveusers

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  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    One thing I have to add to this is the person that started it is screwed because everything is through the NOC and everyone on your list has to be a registered users that is accepted. RIM will be able to look in the logs and see who originally sent this and I can be assured could be in a little hot water.

  • Mike

    So you're saying Blackberry (RIM) can read everything we send through BBM?

  • Kirsty

    Lol what have you been sending?!? OF COURSE THEY CAN SEE WHAT YOU SEND… Just like your carrier can see all the websites you access through your device.

    This was stupid and unfortunate. I agree that the issues this morning with BBM have made me alittle more angrier with how BB handles all spam on their devices.

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    If they had a need to yes :) it's all logged for some period of time. Not everyone can read it just if they want to I'm sure it's only accessible to look up problems. It's just a big database which is just one big Excel spread sheet to put it simple. Same thing at work IT can read all your emails without you knowing but that is also logged so if someone sees you looking at email account you better have a good excuse to be doing so. I'm certain that just not anyone at RIM can read it but server admins for that server.

  • olapbill

    wow. really? this is basically just a chain letter, its not broadcast spam. Likening it to MSN spam, where you are more than likely listed in the profiles directory and can get you info grabbed by any bot out there is a little different.
    Whole article is a bit too Chicken Little for me to take seriously

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    Why are you mad at RIM for this? Only people that you trust have sent you this. You must of approved your contacts to be on your list. So is it RIMs fault or yours for having gullible friends :) now RIM could have seen this message but how do you stop something like that? And how many SPAM messages do you get on BlackBerry Messenger that this is a big problem. BlackBerry Messenger is only as limited as its users if they decide to send you junk you get it, kick them off your list or teach them what not to send.

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    Why are you mad at RIM for this? Only people that you trust have sent you this. You must of approved your contacts to be on your list. So is it RIMs fault or yours for having gullible friends :) now RIM could have seen this message but how do you stop something like that? And how many SPAM messages do you get on BlackBerry Messenger that this is a big problem. BlackBerry Messenger is only as limited as its users if they decide to send you junk you get it, kick them off your list or teach them what not to send.

  • Mike

    So where is the PRIVACY in this?

    I guess we shouldn't be surprised if Jennifer Aniston and Gerrard Butler's BBM conversation is posted somewhere by some disgruntled ex employee?!

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    Same can be said about any company. IT have access to everything you have to trust them. Only certain people would have access as required, but remember it's all logged so if someone does access something they have to account for it or need to be parried with another employee to monitor the access. I don’t know anyone that is willing to give up their carrier to post information that could put them in jail.

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    And hey maybe I'm wrong maybe they don’t keep a record of any messages. I would just assume they would have one to track issues when they occur. No one looks at it unless there is a problem.

  • Mike

    Hmm I don't think they are supposed to! Celebrities, politicos and a lot of influential people use BBM. Infact Obama does too (which will obviously be secure)

    It would be a serious threat to privacy if they can see what we send!

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    RIM any comment??

  • tron

    I just got this message today… damn that spam! I hope its not a link to a virus..

  • Mike

    Celebrities, politicos and a lot of influential people use BBM. Infact Obama does too (which will obviously be secure)

    It would be a serious threat to privacy if they can see what we send!

  • Mike

    Celebrities, politicos and a lot of influential people use BBM. Infact Obama does too (which will obviously be secure)

    It would be a serious threat to privacy if they can see what we send!

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    The Link is a dead link it goes nowhere. Even still good luck writing a virus for the BlackBerry. Developers can even get software to work on this device let alone a virus :)

  • John

    ummmmm you don't remember what a big deal that was that he did not want to give up his BB????? They can see the message.

  • Mike

    'CrackBerrys' get cracked:

    Attackers aren't spending all of their time on Vista. Some of them also are thinking about ways to exploit devices such as BlackBerrys. Jesse D'Aguanno, a consultant with Praetorian Global, unveiled BBProxy at Black Hat, a hacking program he created that takes advantage of the trust relationship between a BlackBerry and an enterprise's internal server to hijack a network connection. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) deployed at the network perimeter would be useless against this type of exploit, he said, because the data tunnel between the BlackBerry and the server is encrypted. BBProxy must be installed on a BlackBerry or sent to one as an emailed Trojan horse. Once installed, the program causes the BlackBerry to call back to the attacker's system in the background, opening a communications channel between a company's internal network and the attacker. D'Aguanno plans to release BBProxy for download sometime in the next week.”

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    Well anyone is venerable if you can get them to install software. That’s not a hack that’s called Social Engineering getting people to install or help you get installed software is not hacking or cracking. Now if you go them to visit a site and the software could be installed rogue (which is not) No one to date is able to remotely attack a BlackBerry to get information from it or use it spring board to another device for use in an attack. http://www.blackberrycool.com/2010/03/25/iphone… have a look at the article they are still offering a $10,000 prize for anyone that can hack the BlackBerry.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Kyle McInnes

    There seems to be some confusion here about RIM reading BBM messages. My understanding is that RIM is just a pipe. They couldn't read your BBM or email even if they wanted to. The data is encrypted and there is no back door. The reason RIM are able to sell to the military, government and huge corporations has a lot to do with this.

    Maybe I'm wrong (I don't claim to be a wireless infrastructure and encryption expert) but that's my understanding.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Kyle McInnes

    Are you sure it's a chain letter? I'm under the impression it comes from a source hitting PINs at random.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Kyle McInnes

    Are you sure it's a chain letter? I'm under the impression it comes from a source hitting PINs at random.

  • http://www.blackberrycool.com/ Kyle McInnes

    I'd agree, the word spam doesn't really fit. I updated the topic with this post:

    http://www.blackberrycool.com/2010/04/08/poll-w…

  • ljp

    BES servers give companies the ability to track BBM messages. There has been demands from countries such as India to extend this to BIS, I believe a request was made last fall, but they don't do it from a cost issue.

    RIM really has no responsibility for this. It's like complaining about spam after you posted your email address on every forum imaginable. Some people are too open about their PIN and their poor choice in friends.

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    You cannot get a message unless they are a member of your Device. So They only people that can spam you is your own friends.

  • ljp

    BES servers give companies the ability to track BBM messages. There has been demands from countries such as India to extend this to BIS, I believe a request was made last fall, but they don't do it from a cost issue.

    RIM really has no responsibility for this. It's like complaining about spam after you posted your email address on every forum imaginable. Some people are too open about their PIN and their poor choice in friends.

  • http://caspan.com Caspan

    You cannot get a message unless they are a member of your Device. So They only people that can spam you is your own friends.