BlackBerry: BBM poses ‘small’ risk from Heartbleed on Apple, Android smartphones

WATERLOO, Ont. – BlackBerry (TSX:BB) says Apple iPhones and Android devices running BlackBerry Messenger face an “extremely small” risk from the Heartbleed software bug.

The bug is caused by a flaw in OpenSSL software, which is commonly used on the Internet to provide security and privacy.

BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, is a texting system originally for the company’s own products. BBM was made available last year for iPhone and Android products to expand the reach of the messaging system.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based company says investigations have so far found no problems from Heartbleed on Blackberry smartphones and servers, the backbone of its security features.

The vulnerability posed by Heartbleed came to public attention this month but researchers say it may have existed for years.

Security experts say Heartbleed may undermine security features of websites and networking equipment, but the extent of the damage isn’t known.

Canada Revenue Agency says it estimates the social insurance numbers of roughly 900 people were stolen from its systems through a six-hour breach before the CRA blocked public access to its online services last week.