REFRESH INC.: August 2010

Tuesday

PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTOR EDUCATION - from content experts to Instructors...

Across Canada, we hired content experts to teach an array of courses selected from a library of approximately 1,000 topics. For content experts without formal Instructor training, we created "train-the-trainer" courses by implementing Professional Instructor Education (PIE). PIE was a collection of asynchronous online courses tied with online certification exams that could be completed on an individual basis. Once a specified number of online courses activities were completed, including multiple choice quizzes, games, and short answer responses, an individual was provided with an online certificate of completion from PIE.

The collection of PIE courses were offered to over 500 staff, with a 100% adoption rate. Completion rates after a semi-annual assessment for the Alberta region was approximately 85% for staff instructors.

Saturday

Apple and the War for the Mobile Market

The short history of the computer industry is dominated by two well-known stories: How mainframe makers failed to take the personal computer seriously until it was too late, and how Apple refused to license its innovative new operating system and ended up ceding the market to Microsoft.

Unless Apple learns from its mistakes it's going to end up with a Macintosh-like minority market share again -- in mobile.

http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/ZqZ-CoTW-44/

FAQ: BlackBerry Messenger & PIN Messages are NOT Encrypted

I just wanted to provide some more detail to my previous explanation of what communications are encrypted on a BlackBerry. This issue has caused quite a bit of confusion recently so I thought I would clear it up specifically for BlackBerry Messenger and PIN messages.

BlackBerry Messenger and PIN to PIN messages are NOT encrypted. They are scrambled using a global cryptographic key which EVERY BlackBerry in the world uses. BES administrators have the option to encrypt the body of PIN messages (but not the PIN itself) using a organization specific encryption key but that limits users to only be able to send PIN messages within the organization so it is usually not done. It is possible to use the S/MIME Package RIM sells to encrypt PIN to PIN messages but that gets complicated and is really only done by Government organizations.

There are a couple of problems with PIN to PIN messaging that is also the basis of BlackBerry messenger that you should know about. The Communications Security Establishment in Canada was kind enough to detail some of these issues:
As said before PIN to PIN messages by default are NOT encrypted they are scrambled using a cryptographic key
If an wireless carrier or government manages to reroute your PIN message to any other BlackBerry in the world by changing the header then it will be readable on that device
Devices cannot be reused by another person since messages for that PIN will continue to come to the device for the original owner. Think of it this way. If you sell your BlackBerry the new owner will get your PIN messages. The sender would also have no idea that this is the case.
You have no idea if the person sending you that PIN message has not sold their device or had it stolen by another person who is impersonating them.
Even if an organization uses their BES with a organization specific PIN key the PIN number is still not encrypted and sent in the clear. That means a snoop could see who is sending messages back and forth.

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/0OqBSow_C3E/