Blackberry and DIN

[BKells]

I know the Army issues blackberries to some people to receive their DIN e-mails.

However, if you're not deemed important enough to be issued one, and you have your own, is there a way to receive your e-mails as well? Shouldn't require any extra effort on the part of the Army to do it.

 

[George Wallace]

.......... is there a way to receive your e-mails as well? Shouldn't require any extra effort on the part of the Army to do it.

NO.


Don't even bother to discuss this any further as the answer will still be NO.

 

[BKells]

As someone who's not in the military anymore I'd be interested in how you qualify your resounding, yet unsubstantiated, "NO."

 

[BKells]

As someone who holds a leadership position in a reserve regiment, my productivity would increase exponentially were I able to read and reply to e-mails more than twice a week when I am authorized to parade. And, with the budget cuts in LFCA, I am on stand-down for 7 weeks and cannot check it at all.

Simple question.

 

[the 48th regulator]

As someone who's not in the military anymore I'd be interested in how you qualify your resounding, yet unsubstantiated, "NO."

You are aware there are those "Not in the Military" anymore, that are issued a Blackbery as well.  Especially PSE who work for DND.

That being said, you are not going to find anyone that will give you access to the DIN, without a computer, or other mobile device that is configured to enter the DIN.

It's not like getting an iPhone, unlocking it, and switching back an forth from Rogers to Bell.

dileas

tess

 

[Nfld Sapper]

No, it is not a vain attempt to be "one of the cool guys." I know that if I wanted to be one of them, I would need only to sit on Army.CA and denigrate individuals for asking legitimate questions.

As someone who holds a leadership position in a reserve regiment, my productivity would increase exponentially were I able to read and reply to e-mails more than twice a week when I am authorized to parade. And, with the budget cuts in LFCA, I am on stand-down for 7 weeks and cannot check it at all.

Simple question.

I can see where you are coming but having your email sent to an unsecured means beyond DND control would be a security breach.

 

[BKells]

I realize it will probably never happen. However, I'm just curious to hear someone who is actually 'in the know' explain why.

Yeah but the Blackberries issued to individuals pose the same security risk. They are the exact same device, they were just paid for and owned by the Crown.

On Blackberries the e-mail is pushed to the devices via the BIS. Seems easy enough. Any tech people or signals on Army.CA able to answer this?

 

[the 48th regulator]

I realize it will probably never happen. However, I'm just curious to hear someone who is actually 'in the know' explain why.

Yeah but the Blackberries issued to individuals pose the same security risk. They are the exact same device, they were just paid for and owned by the Crown.

On Blackberries the e-mail is pushed to the devices via the BIS. Seems easy enough. Any tech people or signals on Army.CA able to answer this?

It hink you have a valid point, that a tech guy may be able to anser this.  As for being the same device, think about what you are saying.  Are you able to access the DIN or your e-mails via a personal computer?  No?  Why not?

Again, maybe a good techy can answer with out breaching OPSEC.

dileas

tess

 

[Old and Tired]

Ok, here's and an answer for a Sigs guy who is also a techno geek as well as being an ISSO.

NO. period full stop.  The DND will not allow a civilian owned device to connect to our networks, no how no way.  The security issues go beyond the sending and receiving of Email.  Your Crackberry, if linked to the DIN would provide an entry point that we cannot regulate or control.  The potential for unauthorised access for any number of activities is too great.

 

[BKells]

Isn't it the BIS that connects to the DIN and handles all the e-mail traffic? Individual devices don't access the network

 

[Old and Tired]

It's the way that the BIS passes the information to the server that presents the problem.  For DND own devices we control all the settings.  We also control the authentication system.  Should your crackberry be lost, stolen even borrowed, then it is now an open access port.  That could allow anyone who gets their hands on it to work backworks into the system.

As some of the people on here who know me, I am being deliberately vague.  Of note is that just two weeks ago I an ISSO conference where this very capability was demonstrated to the audience.

 

[BKells]

Interesting.

So, if I understood you correctly, that security problem is one posed even by DND-issued Blackberries as well? Just any device fallen into the wrong hands?

 

[Fusaki]

So, if I understood you correctly, that security problem is one posed even by DND-issued Blackberries as well? Just any device fallen into the wrong hands?

What's it to you?

Bottom line, you can't get your civvie Blackberry on the DIN.  It's a COMSEC thing and thats all you need to know. Case closed, topic locked.

 

[brihard]

Uh, not sure if the DIN version of outlook will allow it, but is it not possible to simply set up an automatic forwarding from Outlook to your gmail account, which you in turn then get on your blackberry? It's not a 100% solution, but it would porbbaly deal with most of the normal section level stuff we deal with.

'Getting' your email doesn't necessarily have to mean accessing it over the DIN. You could probably set up conditional forwarding in Outlook so that anything coming from someone in your section gets forwarded to your gmail.

I took the other approach- my troops use my civvie email address, and I've set that up to forward to my DIN.

 

[Ex Ranger Instructor]

So, if I understood you correctly, that security problem is one posed even by DND-issued Blackberries as well? Just any device fallen into the wrong hands?

Of course any DND-issued BB that falls into "the wrong hands" constitutes a security risk.

It's probably not a huge one, but it's a security risk, nonetheless.  In the same way your personal BB, if connected to the DIN, would constitute a security risk. 

Long story short: the security policies we abide by are what they are and if you are not entitled to an issued BB then set forwarding as deailed below, or TS.

 

[blacktriangle]

As someone who's not in the military anymore

Look at this posting history, it should be pretty obvious where he is at.

Also, forgive my ignorance, but what is wrong with using a civilian email to facilitate information sharing as a reservist? As for connecting a civilian device to any type of DND system, that was likely outlined when you did the paperwork to get a DIN account. Somewhere in the fine print I believe.

Edit: Brihard beat me to it, and good idea with the forwarding if that works...

 

[the 48th regulator]

Or as a person in a Leadership position, I can oiffer some advice from a person that held many when I was in.

How about getting them to all sign up with Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc etc. and create your own little network.

Use it to build a bit of Esprit de Corp...have them call themselves Rifleman1@hotmail.com, Highlander1@hahoo.com  Or Nickname@gmail.com, and use messenger when you are organizing section smokers, BBQs etc....

Dunno, just a thought.  We used to do it, and that was in the day when we used normal phones and ate Blackberries.....

dileas

tess

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

I locked this as I'm not 100% comfortable with the direction the thread is heading.
I could be wrong and if someone convinces the Mods to reopen this then by all means.

Here is a PM I recieved from Occam,

I'm not sure who locked it, but you can add this (from an Ottawa DND networks geek):

Aside from the "no personal devices may be connected to DND networks" reason, you just touched on another.  Mail isn't pushed to DND Blackberrys via a BIS.  They use a BES, which means that even if you got approval to activate it on DND's network, you wouldn't have internet connectivity anymore.  They can only be activated on one network at a time, either internet via a BIS, or intranet via a BES.

You're not going to get permission to do it, so you may as well abandon the thought.