“By the middle of the month, iPhones and iPads will likely pass a Pentagon security review that will result in their use, for the first time, on military networks,” Spencer Ackerman reports for Wired.
“As part of the Pentagon’s big push into the mobile-device market, the Defense Department has already issued so-called Security Technical Implementation Guides, or STIGs, for BlackBerry 10 phones and Playbook tablets, and for Samsung’s Android-powered Knox phone. Apple will not be left out,” Ackerman reports. “‘We expect to release the iOS STIG sometime in the next two weeks,’ says Air Force Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a Pentagon spokesman.”
Ackerman reports, “It’s a bureaucratic irony of the mobile age: Apple desktop and laptop computers still aren’t cleared to access military networks, but iPhones and iPads will be… The Pentagon’s top information-security officials speak about purchasing a “family of devices” for military use, yet it’ll be weeks or months before any of those devices actually make their way to troops’ pockets and backpacks. Most likely, by the time the first military mobile orders get issued, Apple products will be among them.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The American company, not the beleaguered Canadian antiquity nor the South Korean convicted patent infringer, should be priority number one for U.S. government and military procurement, especially where security is a necessity. Period.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Thumper” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Pentagon ready to approve Apple’s iOS for high security use – May 1, 2013
Steve Jobs is Apple of Pentagon’s eye – February 16, 2011
Canadian federal department warns government workers of BlackBerry insecurity – February 27, 2013
Security researcher labels nearly 300,000 Google Play Android apps as ‘high-risk’ – November 1, 2012
FBI’s Android security warning means Apple’s iPhone beats Android for BYOD enterprise – October 16, 2012
FBI issues warning over Android malware attacks – October 15, 2012
Researchers discover serious flaw in Android app security, say HTC and Samsung ignore issue – September 28, 2012
Apple’s iPhone has passed a key security threshold – August 13, 2012
Android permissions flaw allows eavesdropping, data theft, location tracking – December 2, 2011
Massive HTC Android security flaw leaves security expert speechless – October 2, 2011
Apple’s iOS unaffected by malware as Android exploits surge 76% – August 24, 2011
Android malware records phone calls; iPhone users unaffected – August 2, 2011
Symantec: Apple iOS offers ‘full protection,’ Google Android ‘little protection’ vs. malware attacks – June 29, 2011
Malware apps spoof Android Market to infect Android phones – June 21, 2011
Google forced to pull several malware-infested apps from Android market – June 8, 2011
Android malware sees explosive growth; even faster than with PCs – April 27, 2011
Virus-laden apps infest Google’s ‘open’ Android platform; iPhone unaffected – March 3, 2011
Security firm warns of new Android trojan that can steal personal information; iPhone unaffected – December 30, 2010
Trojan infects Android smartphones; iPhone unaffected – August 10, 2010
Millions of Android phone users slammed by malicious data theft app – July 29, 2010
Unlike proactive Apple, reactive Google doesn’t block malware from Android app store – June 4, 2010
Malware designed to steal bank information pops up in Google’s Android app store – January 11, 2010
Steve, buy that man an iPhone: Obama vows to keep his Blackberry despite security, legal concerns – January 8, 2009
righto.
MDN: Why should a company get preference because it is based in America? Shouldn’t the best product, most secure product be selected? If that is Apple products than that should be why, not because it is based within a certain geographical boundary. Companies are not beholden to their geography anymore, so your take is disingenuous at best, protectionist at worst.
@Jim: You are piece of s**t and a worm not fit to breath the air in the United States of America.
The US government allowing a company with proven IP theft as a common business practice, and corruption within their own country’s government access to inside government security info would be a horrible match for our nation’s security. Are you high?
Nothing relating to any country’s security should be out-sourced.
That’s a very rude response, even if you disagree with Jim’s reasonable question. The Internet should be a place of reasoned debate. For example: you say
“Nothing relating to any country’s security should be out-sourced.”
My country, and others, buys American military hardware, bringing valuable income to your economy should we not do so?
Jim,
What bpondo meant to say – but his typing isn’t too good – is that he respectfully disagrees, and would like to point out that Samsung’s extensive record of IP theft hardly paints a good picture of a company that should be trusted with anything relating to secure. He also thinks you probably just missed that.
Well said Jim.
Why didn’t the US Army buy Panzerwagens in WWII?
I’m sure they would have liked to. 😉
Interesting how right wingers argue that companies are American when it is advantageous to be so, but international when the time comes to pay the tax bill.
Amazing a Canadian company and a Korean company in court for international IP theft of homegrown Apple — firmly positioned at the head of the line as far as Pentagon security devices is concerned.
Unreal.
But thinking it through, once again we are looking at the overall efficiency of nimble government. 😉
The phones are all made outside the US. None are American.
All three companies (RSA) outsource phone manufacturing, either fully or partially, OUTSIDE of their respective home base countries.
Your point?
None are American.
I am shocked. I can’t believe they let a company from South Korea that has stolen so much information for profit into the pentagon. I have no words.
I have two words: clueless government.
Canada has been an invaluable ally on every military campaign on the last 150 years an was in WWI and WWII 3 years before the US wole ip amd showed up
Want to trash BBY fine but dont ypu dare do it on a military basis
If it werent for Canadian snipers a lott more Americans would have died in Afghanistan
I believe Chris Kyle is proven to be the most effective sniper in recent years. The Canadian sniper had the longest recorded shot. Both guys have helped defend our troops. I wish Kyle were still around.
And they let them use PC’s. Go figure.
But the PCs are so locked down by IT that they have about as much usefulness as a 1970’s pocket calculator.
Totally agree with MDN!!!