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Approvals and Certifications

As a market leader in the area of information assurance and compliance, Research In Motion Limited (RIM) is committed to independent, third party approvals and certifications of BlackBerry® security. The BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution has been approved for storing and transmitting sensitive data by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as government organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Australia and New Zealand.

RIM is active in the Cryptographic Module Validation Program in North America, United Kingdom CESG Assisted Product Service (CAPS) and International Common Criteria evaluation scheme.

  • Government Approvals

    Government Approvals

    The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution has been approved for storing and transmitting sensitive data by several major government organizations.

    Nation Organization Maximum Classification Level
    Canada Communications Security Establishment PROTECTED B
    United Kingdom CESG RESTRICTED / IL3
    Austria Center for Secure Information Technology Not specified
    Australia Defense Signals Directorate RESTRICTED
    New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau RESTRICTED
    United States National Institute of Standards and Technology Sensitive But Unclassified
    Turkey Turkish Standards Institute Not specified
  • NATO Approval

    NATO Approval

    NATO has approved the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for the storage and transmission of data up to and including the NATO RESTRICTED classification.

  • Cryptographic Module Validation Program

    Cryptographic Module Validation Program

    The Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) governs the conformance testing of cryptographic modules to Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2, "Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules." The following BlackBerry cryptographic modules have earned FIPS 140-2 or FIPS 140-1 validations through the CMVP:

    BlackBerry Tablet Cryptographic Kernel

    The BlackBerry Tablet Cryptographic Kernel is the software module that provides the cryptographic functionality required for basic operation of the BlackBerry® PlayBook™. All BlackBerry PlayBook tablets contain the BlackBerry Tablet Cryptographic Kernel, which has been awarded the following FIPS 140-2 validation:

    BlackBerry Cryptographic Kernel

    The BlackBerry Cryptographic Kernel is the cryptographic module that provides the core cryptographic services required for BlackBerry smartphone functionality. All Java® enabled BlackBerry smartphones* contain the BlackBerry Cryptographic Kernel, which has been awarded the following FIPS 140-2 validations:

    BlackBerry Enterprise Server Cryptographic Kernel

    The BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Cryptographic Kernel is the cryptographic module that provides the cryptographic services required for BlackBerry Enterprise Server functionality. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server Cryptographic Kernel has been awarded the following FIPS 140-2 validations:

    BlackBerry Cryptographic API (Algorithm implementations only)

    The BlackBerry Cryptographic Application Programming Interface (API) is a suite of comprehensive cryptographic functionality provided by all Java enabled BlackBerry smartphones. Available for use by third party BlackBerry application developers, the implementations of cryptographic algorithms in the BlackBerry Cryptographic API have been awarded validation certificates for the following:

    • BlackBerry Device Software versions 4.0 – 5.0.0
  • CAPS Security Program

    CAPS Security Program

    CESG is the United Kingdom National Technical Security Authority. The CESG Assisted Product Service (CAPS) has been designed to help private sector companies develop cryptographic products for use by the United Kingdom government and other appropriate organizations. BlackBerry has been approved for use at RESTRICTED (IL3), when configured and used in line with CESG guidance. This approval is based on a CAPS-style evaluation. The following products have been evaluated and approved:

    • BlackBerry Smartphone versions 5.0, 6.0
    • BlackBerry Enterprise Server versions 5.0.1+
    • BlackBerry Smart Card Reader Software versions 2.0

    If you are using a software version older than those listed above, RIM recommends updating to one of the listed versions.

  • Common Criteria Evaluation Scheme

    Common Criteria Evaluation Scheme

    The Common Criteria is an international evaluation scheme of IT security products and systems. Common Criteria evaluation results are recognized by 26 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The following BlackBerry products have obtained a Common Criteria EAL 2+ certification:

    The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is the first wireless platform to earn Common Criteria EAL 4+ certification. The following BlackBerry products have obtained EAL 4+ certification: