Could You Secure This Man's Email?
I was reading this article, wondering just how realistic those concerns about the information lost on the president's Blackberry would be. Between a better-than-enterprise level security policy and Obama getting in the habit of not keeping national security documents on his mobile device, I keep wondering if they couldn't actually secure these things even to the level that is required by his office.
What say you, my geek brethren? Could we realistically secure a Blackberry, (or any other mobile device,) with strong enough encryption, safeguards, and common-sense policy to allow our new president to keep feeding his addiction to checking email on the go?
(Keep in mind, this isn't a political discussion, so it doesn't really matter if you like Obama or not. The question is, is it possible for someone like the president to still enjoy the benefits of carrying his mobile device while adhering to the level of security he needs? So let's keep the red-team-versus-blue-team stuff to a minimum and focus on the IT challenge itself.)
What say you, my geek brethren? Could we realistically secure a Blackberry, (or any other mobile device,) with strong enough encryption, safeguards, and common-sense policy to allow our new president to keep feeding his addiction to checking email on the go?
(Keep in mind, this isn't a political discussion, so it doesn't really matter if you like Obama or not. The question is, is it possible for someone like the president to still enjoy the benefits of carrying his mobile device while adhering to the level of security he needs? So let's keep the red-team-versus-blue-team stuff to a minimum and focus on the IT challenge itself.)
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Comments
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empc4000xl
Member Posts: 322
They already have secure devices that they have used for sometime now. They have the entire WHCA who's job is to provide all types of comms. What I would do if I was his comms guy is have a Red Blackberry that is secure and he could keep his normal black one. One of my CPO's when I was in did a tour there. They can accommodate him with no problem. -
LarryDaMan
Member Posts: 797
This device does Top Secret and there are others out there. They are kinda big and they don't have every bell and whistle of a Blackberry, but it would work.
Product Details - Sectéra® Edge? SME PED - Overview
The thing about Obama is not about security. It is about the disclosure and the Freedom of Information Act. FOIA and Presidential Records Acts would potentially make every e-mail and text available to the public upon request. This is the reason we have not had an e-mailing President. -
BradleyHU
Member Posts: 918 ■■■■□□□□□□
LarryDaMan wrote: »This device does Top Secret and there are others out there. They are kinda big and they don't have every bell and whistle of a Blackberry, but it would work.
Product Details - Sectéra® Edge? SME PED - Overview
The thing about Obama is not about security. It is about the disclosure and the Freedom of Information Act. FOIA and Presidential Records Acts would potentially make every e-mail and text available to the public upon request. This is the reason we have not had an e-mailing President.
man, that is a brick...Link Me
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astorrs
Member Posts: 3,139 ■■■■■■□□□□
Exactly, a record has to be kept of everything he does. Look at Bush's:LarryDaMan wrote: »The thing about Obama is not about security. It is about the disclosure and the Freedom of Information Act. FOIA and Presidential Records Acts would potentially make every e-mail and text available to the public upon request. This is the reason we have not had an e-mailing President.
Can you imagine how insane the Obama one will be in 4 ( to 8 ) years?If the electronic records of the Bush White House total 100 terabytes of information, as archives officials estimate, that would be about 50 times the volume of electronic records left behind by the Clinton White House in 2001 and some five times the contents of all 20 million catalogued books in the Library of Congress. -
dynamik
Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
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Slowhand
Mod Posts: 5,161 Mod
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Let it never be said that I didn't do the very least I could do. -
pwjohnston
Member Posts: 441
Personally, I think it doesn't matter considering the Chinese have already hacked the Pentagon.
Chinese hackers: No site is safe - CNN.com
That seems like a little bit bigger threat to me. -
LarryDaMan
Member Posts: 797
"Stories also imply that Mr. Obama may use the super-spooky National Dynamics Sectera Edge for official business."
Nice, I kinda called that one. The Sectera Edge is going to feel like a boat anchor compared to his Blackberry. -
LarryDaMan
Member Posts: 797
pwjohnston wrote: »I'm sorry but that thing is sweeeeeeet!
They were intially being ordered here for around $5K, but it will come down. -
Slowhand
Mod Posts: 5,161 Mod
$5k? Hell, I'll take three!
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