Samsung smartphones, tablets and wearables feature Samsung Knox Security, Samsung’s exclusive multi-layered security system that helps keep your data private.
The problem is that Samsung doesn’t do the best job of emphasizing how impressive this technology is and why it matters to consumers, but that’s where we come in.
What is Samsung Knox Security?
Samsung Knox is a security protection built into many Samsung smartphones, tablets and even smartwatches to protect your data from exploits and hackers.
There are several ways to do this, and it depends in part on the Samsung device you’re using, as newer devices may use a combination of software and hardware protection. The idea is that layers of security help isolate your data, making it harder for hackers to access it.
The basic idea is that it protects your most sensitive data, such as passwords, biometrics and payment information, although companies can also use Knox Security to protect data stored on employees’ phones.
The biggest and most important feature of Knox Security is Knox Vault.
Knox Vault is one of the newer layers of security included in the overall Knox Security Suite, using an isolated operating system and isolated hardware to further isolate your information from malicious actors.
This basically means that your smartphone runs a separate OS alongside Android that acts as a separation layer between apps and data. Hackers can access a fake OS, but they shouldn’t be able to penetrate it and access your most private data.
What makes Samsung Knox Security unique?
What makes Samsung Knox Security unique is that Samsung’s special Knox Vault processor built into newer Samsung flagships like the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22, along with tablets like the Galaxy Tab S8 series, is integrated.
This means that even if the Android OS detects a vulnerability, hackers will still not be able to access your storage data because they will have to use Samsung apps to gain access.
It also doesn’t just protect against remote hacking attempts, it can detect physical attacks in the form of laser light or electromagnetic fault injection and will immediately destroy all phone data.
When it comes to user-centric mobile security, you couldn’t get any better.
Which Samsung phones offer Knox Security?
The good news is that Samsung has been using Knox on its smartphones, tablets, and even smartwatches since 2015.
In fact, according to the Samsung Knox website, there are 428 Samsung devices that boast some form of Knox protection, starting with the Galaxy J7 in 2015. and ending with the latest flagships.
However, the version of Knox Security and the features you can access depend on the smartphone, and more advanced security features like Knox Vault are exclusive to the latest flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22.
If you want to dig deeper, Samsung has a handy list of all compatible devices and the specific features Knox offers.
