Wireless Email

[#1]

I have searched for this using PIN and don't believe I've found the exact issue.

Rant: 

I've had my Pre since about two weeks after release, part of the reason why I got it is because my company was going to allow the pre access to exchange, but it's been over 6 months and I'm sick of webmail.

The Problem: (from what my company has told me)

WebOS does NOT enforce a strong PIN requirement.

So basically even if this requirement is checked in exchange anyone with a Pre could simply set a PIN of 1111, 1234, 1212, or anything simple like this.

Because of this I can't use my phone to check my work email or calendar.  I was told through my company that Palm was going to fix this by the end of the year, but now that has came and gone and I still do not have access.

I really do appreciate all the development and will enjoy video recording, but when will something as simple as this be fixed.  I can't believe more people aren't complaining about this, but maybe it's just that some companies aren't aware that their employees can put in these simple PIN's, and haven't locked them out.

Thanks,

Rich

Post relates to: Pre p100eww (Sprint)

[#2]

The device does support this. http://kb.palm.com/wps/portal/kb/na/pre/p100eww/sprint/solutions/article/58353_en.html

[#3]

I don't see anywhere in the link you provided mentioning or detailing Hard PIN's.

Look at this

Removed incorrect link, see post 7 below or this link:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123484.aspx

 Allow Common Patterns

The Allow Common Patterns setting is used to either enable or disable the use of common number patterns used in creating a PIN. By default, this setting is disabled and will not allow users to input the following number patterns in the following list:

• Sequential numbers   PIN values that consist completely of consecutive numbers. Examples of sequential numbers for a PIN are 1234 and 65432.
• Repeated numbers PIN values that consist of repeated numbers. Examples of repeated numbers are 11111 and 22222.
• Suffix of mailbox extension PIN values that consist of the suffix of your mailbox extension. If your mailbox extension is 36697, your PIN cannot be 669

From my understanding from what has been told to me from my company even if this is checked as default Pre (webos) users could just enter in 1111 for a password and it would work.  Now maybe I have this wrong and webos can't break this rule and gain access, but regardless it does not enforce a hard PIN and therefor my company is blocking it.

[#4]

This is the policy you are refuring to:

---

• Password complexity (numeric or alphanumeric): Password strength plays an important role in securing a device. A webOS phone supports a combination of numeric and nonnumeric characters.

  NOTE If the IT administrator enforces an alphanumeric password, the webOS phone requires that the password include a minimum of one non-numeric character.

• Minimum password length (2–18): On a webOS phone, alphanumeric passwords can be between two and 18 characters. Numeric passwords must always be four characters or more.
• Maximum number of failed password attempts before local wipe: IT administrators can set the number of failed password attempts allowed to the user on the phone before a local wipe occurs

---

I also maybe misunderstanding what you mean by "Hard Pin". Can you clarify this for me?

[#5]

Sorry I dropped this so long, I was writting PIN to mean number password, I see that Password in what you wrote is inclusive of what I was calling PIN.

By Hard PIN I meant:

• Sequential numbers   PIN values that consist completely of consecutive numbers. Examples of sequential numbers for a PIN are 1234 and 65432.
• Repeated numbers PIN values that consist of repeated numbers. Examples of repeated numbers are 11111 and 22222.
• Suffix of mailbox extension PIN values that consist of the suffix of your mailbox extension. If your mailbox extension is 36697, your PIN cannot be 669

In the policy that you reference below the only stipulation for Numberic  passwords is that they must be four characters or more.  It doesn't mention any of the stipulations that I linked to for Exchange Policies.

I'm sure my company is not disallowing Numberic Passwords for no reason, but I would like to proven them wrong.  Unfortunately I dont' think they are wrong, and the current policy you copied and pasted doesn't prove this to me.

As my company has said this is a known issue and Palm is aware of this I would think there would be documentation somewhere for this in some form of a kb article or something, but I can't seem to find anything publicly available.

[#6]

This link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb125162%28EXCHG.80%29.aspx referneces a phone system for Outlook Voice Access. The device does not have this capablity. I know your company told you that we are aware of this issue. But unless your IT does not want to support the Pre everything your IT is stating the Pre can do.

Other than Hard PINs can your IT tell you why the Pre will not connect. IE what EAS policy are they using that the Pre does not support or we says it does but does not work?

[#7]

From my understanding the Pre (WebOS) could connect but they won't allow it with a numeric only password or PIN because it doesn't support the EAS:

Allow simple password

This setting enables or disables the ability to use a simple password such as 1234. The default value is $true.

 http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123484.aspx

I do not know if WebOS would allow a user to enter 1234 even though they have exchange set to not allow this, or if it just doesn't work period because of this, all I know is they won't enable the numeric only option for WebOS.

This site is old

http://www.cio.com/article/503217/How_to_Avoid_the_Smartphone_Exchange_Policy_Lie

and I do not know where to find the equivalent on this website, but does it now support  'Allow simple password' because it didn't when that article was published.

[#8]

It does allow it to show you if you go to system and lock you and go down to where it says secure lock, tap on off you have Simple PIN or Password. Also the latest updates allow the device to use Simple PIN or even Alphanumeric. When the Pre came out it could be that they are using this policy and the Pre did not support it. In any case it does now and you can tell your IT this.

[#9]

Simple PIN and Password have both been options since the Pre came out, it doesn't mean it supports anything.

Change to Simple PIN and type in 1111, it accepts it, it doesn't prove one way or another.  My company has stated that they will allow number password/PIN's when the 'Allow Simple Pin' is enforced.

Can you provide me with a list of EAS policies that webOS enforces?

You seem to indicate two days ago in this thread:

http://forums.palm.com/palm/board/message?board.id=webossoftware&thread.id=13491&view=by_date_ascend...

that all EAS security policies are not implemented, if they weren't implemented two days ago I wouldn't think they would have been in the last two days as I haven't received an update.

Can you provide me with a list of EAS policies that webOS enforces?

[#10]

Correct not all EAS policies are on the device but Simple PIN is: http://kb.palm.com/wps/portal/kb/common/article/58353_en.html. While it does not state it right out(I will see on if I can get this worded better) the fact that you can have a Numeric or Alphanumeric password on the device means you can also enforce Simple PIN.