Boobytrapped PDFs pose threat to BlackBerry users

Research in Motion (RIM) has warned of vulnerabilities in the way the BlackBerry Attachment Service handles Adobe Acrobat PDF files, which could allow hackers to break into corporate networks.

According to a security advisory issued by the firm, hackers could send email message with an attached PDF file that, when opened by a BlackBerry mobile user, could cause code to be launched on the enterprise server that hosts the BlackBerry Attachment Service.

That code could cause your systems to crash – perhaps interrupting communications – or potentially allow hackers to run malicious code on your network.

RIM has advised customers who wish to protect themselves from the possibility of attack while they are waiting to roll-out the patch to remove PDF files from the list of allowed extensions as a stop-gap measure. Of…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

Found this article interesting? Follow Graham Cluley on Twitter or Mastodon to read more of the exclusive content we post.

Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the anti-virus industry having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent security analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of computer security, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter at @gcluley, on Mastodon at @[email protected], or drop him an email.