This means, the firm claims, that fairly long seven-character password – on either the handset or the media card – can be unlocked in less than an hour if the password consists of characters in a single case (i.e., all capital or all lower-case) characters.
The media card cracking feature is possible, says the Moscow-based company, if the user-selectable 'security password' security option is enabled on the RIM smartphone to encrypt media card data.
Elcomsoft says its Phone Password Breaker now offers forensic access to information stored in Apple iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch devices and BlackBerry smartphones and tablets.
By unlocking BlackBerry devices protected with an unknown device password, the firm says it is helping investigators to gain full access to information stored in a significant number of otherwise inaccessible BlackBerry smartphones.
So How Does It Work?
Elcomsoft notes that information stored in BlackBerry devices is securely protected with an individual security password (device password).
This password is requested every time the device is turned on, or every time after a certain timeout if the 'security timeout' option is selected.
If a password in typed incorrectly ten times in a row, all information on the BlackBerry smartphone is wiped clear, leaving no chance of subsequent recovery. This is a security feature, and one of the hallmarks of BlackBerry security model. Until today, said the Russian security software vendor, it was commonly believed there is no way around the security password.
Unlike with Apple iPhone, Elcomsoft said that a BlackBerry device is not required to perform the recovery of the media card contents. A single file from the removable media card is all that’s needed.
Two versions of Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker are available immediately – home and professional versions, Infosecurity notes. Both versions support Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, as well as Windows 2003 and 2008 Server.