Aug 19, 2021

Cars and medical devices at risk from a serious vulnerability in the BlackBerry QNX operating system, US federal agencies warn Former smartphone powerhouse BlackBerry is at the centre of a security scare surrounding its QNX operating system, used in cars and medical devices. Earlier this year, Microsoft researchers had discovered a high-risk vulnerability in older versions of QNX, which was dubbed ‘BadAlloc’ by Microsoft. Redmond warned the vulnerability was present in “standard memory allocation functions” that appear in everything from operating systems to software development kits (SDKs). It could allow attackers to gain control of affected devices. QNX OS The QNX operating system is used in a variety of industries, including for medical devices and cars. Indeed, it is used by Ford and many other big name car makers, and Apple’s CarPlay in-car operating system for example is also partly powered by the QNX platform. It should be remembered that QNX has a long history in the automotive market after BlackBerry acquired the in-vehicle “infotainment and telematics systems” provider QNX Software Systems for $200m back in 2010 . The QNX technology is also used to control nuclear-power plants and unmanned aerial drones. According to a Politico report , BlackBerry was initially reluctant to go public with the news of the flaw discovered by Microsoft. When initially pressed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), BlackBerry reportedly preferred to privately notify its customers. CISA warning