Ensure the BlackBerry Desktop Software or BlackBerry Link is installed on your PC to provide the necessary USB drivers.

BlackBerry 10 was a security-first OS. Unlike Android or iOS of its time, it featured:

Their tool, Pangu for BlackBerry , was a Windows executable that put the device into a special download mode (not advertised by BlackBerry) and re-flashed security-critical partitions.

The key was exploiting . Pangu found a signed but vulnerable trusted app (TA) inside the BlackBerry firmware that allowed arbitrary memory read/write in the secure world. Once they had that, they could patch the authserver service responsible for BlackBerry ID checks — essentially tricking the device into believing any login was successful.

If you flashed the Autoloader and the phone still asks for the BlackBerry ID (Anti-Theft Protection), you have encountered a security feature that cannot be removed by standard software. This is why people look for "hacks" or "Pangu" tools.