BlackBerry Persona Delivers Industry’s First User Behavior AI Technology for Cybersecurity

October 06, 2020

BlackBerry AI and Machine Learning Drives Powerful Insights to Achieve Continuous Authentication

WATERLOO, ONTARIO – October 6, 2020 – BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced BlackBerry Persona® Desktop, a user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) solution that uses advanced AI and machine learning to deliver continuous authentication to validate user identity in real-time and protect against security breaches. Built on the BlackBerry Spark® Platform, BlackBerry Persona Desktop is the first cybersecurity solution to leverage biometric and behavior-based machine learning models to create a real-time trust score for laptop and desktop users.

With BlackBerry Persona Desktop, all actions are executed within the endpoint itself so there is no need to share data back to the cloud, meaning Persona is able to respond faster than other traditional solutions, and is the only solution available that offers protection within minutes of a compromise. BlackBerry Persona addresses these previously “unsolvable” security challenges:

  • Stolen Credentials – Persona protects an organization when an employee’s credentials have been compromised. Persona is able to analyze a user’s interaction with their device and determine security risk. If the user exceeds the risk threshold, alerts are sent to the cloud and automated mitigation actions, such as prompting for second factor authentication, are taken.
  • Insider Threats – Persona protects an organization from rogue employees by continuously analyzing their behavior and determining if their actions seem malicious. If an employee’s usage patterns deviate from their usual behavior, Persona will identify and flag the risk. Alerts and proactive actions will be taken, based on administrator-defined policy. 
  • Physical Compromises – Persona protects employees and organizations against attacks where the device has been physically compromised and/or stolen. If unauthorized users gain access to the endpoint, its biometric capabilities (e.g. keystroke, mouse) can sense a different user and send alerts or lock the device. Unlike other solutions, these actions happen automatically at the endpoint and don’t require network connection or interaction with the cloud.

“For organizations that are adopting a Zero Trust model, BlackBerry Persona removes the friction of unnecessary re-authentication by continuously verifying a user’s identity after log-in,” said Frank Cotter, Senior Vice President of Product Management at BlackBerry. “With continuous authentication, BlackBerry Persona uses behavior analysis to recognize software usage patterns and determine what behavior is high or low risk in real time. We are committed to developing innovative ways to keep our customers safe and secure and are proud to be the first to bring a solution like Persona Desktop to market.”

“It has long been a puzzle why we place sophisticated endpoint security platforms on devices but allowed a simple username and password to easily bypass that protection,” said Frank Dickson, Program Vice President, Cybersecurity Products at IDC. “We have long advocated for embedded user authentication while not impacting user experience, applying modern technology to continually validate a user. Building authentication into the endpoint places a strong cybersecurity control at a critical control point; it’s a no brainer!”


BlackBerry Persona Desktop is available as part of BlackBerry® Cyber Suite, a new unique offering combining endpoint protection (EPP), mobile threat defense (MTD), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) products in a single package.

Learn more about BlackBerry Persona and BlackBerry Cyber Suite at the 2020 BlackBerry Security Summit (October 6-7). During the company's seventh annual event, industry experts and thought leaders from across the globe will come together virtually to discuss a range of topics, including security in a remote working world, business continuity, Zero Trust/zero touch, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and crisis communications for employee safety. To register, please visit https://www.blackberry.com/securitysummit.

About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including 175M cars on the road today. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security management, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry’s vision is clear - to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.

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