The Latest in IT Security

By Euan Rocha NEW YORK (Reuters) – BlackBerry Ltd is buying a privately held German firm that specializes in voice and data encryption, it said on Tuesday, in a bid to burnish its credentials with highly security-conscious clients like government ‎agencies. The acquisition is the latest by the smartphone pioneer to build on niche areas in an attempt to reinvent itself under new Chief Executive John Chen and recover ground ceded to Apples iPhone and Samsung Electronics Cos Galaxy devices. Chen wants to remain a competitor in the smartphone segment, but is focused on building on BlackBerrys strong mobile device management abilities by beefing up its security and corporate app offerings. Secusmarts technology is currently being used to protect the devices of government officials in both Canada and Germany, including the BlackBerry device used by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the wake of the U.S. spying scandal last year.