Does the Pentagon raise its security risks by approving Apple, Samsung devices?

“Bloomberg” (http://tinyurl.com/bzodlrd) reports that the Pentagon risks exposing itself to hackers by opening its communications networks to Apple and Samsung smartphones and tablets, according to cybersecurity officials.

The Pentagon plans to give employees the flexibility of connecting devices such as Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones and Apple iPads to unclassified networks — a market long dominated by BlackBerry. However, this will create more vulnerabilities to cybersecurity breaches, Pat McGarry, principal systems engineer at Ixia, a network security company, told “Bloomberg.”

“It is a debacle, a disaster waiting to happen,” he said. There is no technology that would make Apple and Samsung smartphones and tablets immune to new malicious software known as malware, McGarry added.

However, Mark Orndorff, a program executive officer at the Defense Information Systems Agency, told “Bloomberg” that Apple, Samsung, and newly approved BlackBerry devices “pose an acceptable risk for unclassified communications” when used with a mobile-device management system.” Testing will continue to ensure the products are secure, he added.