An unlikely saviour turned up after the massive cyber attack that crippled Sony Pictures last month. With email servers not working and internal communications non-existent, executives at the studio kept in touch using a cache of old BlackBerry smartphones they found in a basement.
The BlackBerries impressively managed to connect to BES that was unaffected by the attack, and allowed the company to build email system for communication. This and old machines to cut payroll cheques were the only modern technology the company had left in the wake of the attack.
While it is unknown if the famed BlackBerry security features would have stopped the attack, this represents a good piece of PR for the embattled company as it tries to regain market share lost to companies like Samsung and Apple. Many western governments force high level officials to use BlackBerries for security reasons, and deem operating systems like Android and Apple too risky for sensitive government work.
The Sony Pictures attack may end up putting cyber security on top of the list of priorities for 2015, which would definitely help BlackBerry if it goes out to remind people why it is still one of the most trusted smartphone platforms around.
[Source: Inside BlackBerry, New York Times]
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