No one is immune to new mobile security threats, but Samsung Galaxy has built a new line of defense.
Did you know that getting an image is enough to give hackers access? Everyone knows not to open a link or attached file. But now that’s not enough to keep you safe. Cyber criminals are constantly developing new attack methods.
No-click attacks are a new form of cyber attack and it is enough to get an image. Because it can hide malicious code.
Although there is no indication that these attacks target Galaxy smartphones, Samsung is constantly investigating ways to anticipate these threats and develop protections like Samsung Message Guard.
New threats, new security
Imagine: your phone receives an image. It gently vibrates in your pocket before turning silent. Or it sits on your bedside table and lights up briefly while you sleep. You haven’t touched it, and yet someone may already have access to your messages, photos, and even your banking information.
Clickless attacks are a new threat as more and more cybercriminals target personal data. Globally, one in three consumers is the victim of a data breach and their personal information has been hacked.[1] These leaks are becoming increasingly common: they more than tripled between 2013 and 2021.[2]
Threats evolve, but so does Samsung mobile security. Galaxy smartphones are equipped with advanced technology from the powerful Samsung Knox platform, which protects you from attacks via video and audio files. Samsung Message Guard goes one step further by preemptively protecting your device to limit your exposure to invisible threats hidden in images.[3]
The security solution currently works on Samsung Messages and Messages by Google.[4],[5] And because Samsung believes in open collaboration, Samsung Message Guard will also protect third-party messaging apps in the near future.
A safe environment
Samsung Message Guard is an advanced sandbox, similar to a virtual quarantine environment. When an image file arrives, it is locked away and isolated from the rest of the device. This prevents malicious code from accessing files on your phone or interacting with the operating system. Samsung Message Guard examines the file byte by byte and processes it in a controlled environment to prevent it from infecting the rest of the device.
Simply put, Samsung Message Guard automatically neutralizes all possible threats that might be hiding in an image before they can run. This usually happens invisibly in the background and you don’t have to activate anything yourself. So where you were in danger without taking action, you’re now safe from clickless attacks, and you don’t have to lift a finger for it.
Samsung Message Guard is Samsung’s new security solution. However, all Samsung devices come with security and privacy solutions from the popular Samsung Knox platform. They guarantee you end-to-end protection at all hardware and software layers with real-time threat detection.
Availability
Samsung Message Guard is available for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. But the solution should later also equip other Samsung smartphones and tablets[6].
[1]Thales Consumer Digital Trust Index 2022, https://cpl.thalesgroup.com/data-trust-index.
[2]2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon, https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/.
[3]The image formats that Samsung Message Guard protects you from are: PNG, JPG/JPEG, GIF, ICO, WEBP, BMP, WBMP.
[4]The default messaging app varies by market.
[5] Samsung Message Guard only works on SMS messages, not WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
[6] A user interface 5.1 or higher.