عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Technology

Blackberry Phones Stop Functioning Forever

A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo
A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo
TT
20
TT

Blackberry Phones Stop Functioning Forever

A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo
A BlackBerry device is shown in front of products displayed in a glass cabinet at the Research in Motion offices in Waterloo November 14, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo

Before everyone carried an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy phone, many gadget fans opted for a BlackBerry.

The internet-enabled keyboard-toting smartphones were the hottest business accessory and were favored by the likes of Barack Obama and Kim Kardashian.

But sadly, BlackBerry’s fortunes diminished as the iPhone gained popularity and the Canadian company switched to making security-focused software, The Metro reported.

For a time, the BlackBerry name was licensed to a Chinese manufacturer named TCL, but that came to an end in 2020.

Now it appears that all former BlackBerry devices will cease to function properly as the company is stopping all software support for them.

Services for the phones were brought to an end, January 4. After which, BlackBerry says the devices will ‘no longer reliably function.’

This includes being able to make phone calls, send texts, receive data or contact emergency numbers.

Last year, BlackBerry said it would start taking its legacy services offline, including support for its own operating systems like the BlackBerry 10 software, at the start of 2022.

“The termination of these service offerings and infrastructure will also impact functionality for applications such as Enhanced Sim Based Licensing (ESBL) / Identity Based Licensing (IBL), BlackBerry hosted email addresses, BlackBerry Link, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, BlackBerry Blend, BlackBerry Protect (allows consumers to lock, locate or wipe BBOS, BlackBerry 10 devices remotely),” BlackBerry said in a statement.

There is no impact to the new BlackBerry Protect which is an AI-based endpoint security solution. The last version of a BlackBerry OS was released way back in 2013. And despite a few die-hard fans, most smartphone users have moved on to either iOS or Android in the years since 2013. But if you do still have a BlackBerry lurking in a drawer somewhere, then it’s time to finally get rid of it.

Most Viewed

 
Technology

Impostor Uses AI to Impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
TT
20
TT

Impostor Uses AI to Impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The State Department is warning US diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.

The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a US senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press.

“The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,” it said. “The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.”

It declined to comment further due to “security reasons” and the ongoing investigation.

One of the officials said the hoaxes had been unsuccessful and “not very sophisticated.” Nonetheless, the second official said the department deemed it “prudent” to advise all employees and foreign governments, particularly as efforts by foreign actors to compromise information security increase.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,” the cable said.

The FBI warned in a public service announcement this past spring of a “malicious text and voice messaging campaign” in which unidentified “malicious actors” have been impersonating senior US government officials.

The scheme, according to the FBI, has relied on text messages and AI-generated voice messages that purport to come from a senior US official and that aim to dupe other government officials as well as the victim’s associates and contacts.

It is the second high-level Trump administration official to face such AI-driven impersonation.

The government was investigating after elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures received messages from someone impersonating President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Text messages and phone calls went out from someone who seemed to have gained access to the contacts in Wiles’ personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported in May.

Some of those who received calls heard a voice that sounded like Wiles, which may have been generated by artificial intelligence, according to the newspaper. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles’ number, the report said.