Samsung details Knox Matrix as the security platform turns 10

Samsung‘s award-winning mobile security platform Knox is ten years old! The company introduced Knox at Mobile World Congress in February 2013. Over the past decade, it has evolved into one of the most trusted security platforms for mobile devices, safeguarding billions of consumers and businesses on the way. In a recent Newsroom post celebrating the 10th anniversary of Knox, Samsung talked about its vision for the platform in the years ahead, including Knox Matrix.

Samsung Knox Matrix is the future of mobile security

At SDC 2022 in October, Samsung announced Knox Matrix as the security platform of the future. It is a private blockchain-based platform that builds on its existing solution. But instead of safeguarding a single device, it offers the same level of protection to all connected devices in an ecosystem.

According to Samsung, there are already more than 14 billion connected devices on the market. From smartphones, tablets, and TVs to refrigerators, washing machines, and robot vacuum cleaners, people use an array of connected devices in their households. This ecosystem will keep growing, and this poses a massive security risk. Existing security platforms can only protect a single device. If one of the devices in an ecosystem has weaker security, it may allow threat actors to compromise the security of other devices as well.

This is where Samsung’s Knox Matrix comes into play. It enables all devices in the ecosystem to protect one another, ensuring strong security for all. The bigger your device ecosystem is, the stronger its overall security. Moreover, should the security of one of them be compromised, the platform will automatically isolate it from the rest of the ecosystem. This allows you to use your connected devices in the same manner as before while also safeguarding them from potential exploitations.

Samsung says the whole platform relies on three critical technologies. Firstly, Trust Chain enables devices in an ecosystem to monitor each other for threats. Credential Sync secures user information as you move data between devices. Finally, Cross Platform SDK enables consistent Knox Matrix security standards for devices on various operating systems and platforms, including Android, Tizen, Windows, and others. The security platform manages all of this within a private blockchain.

Samsung’s next-gen security platform will arrive in 2024

Samsung originally planned to debut Knox Matrix this year. But the company has now delayed its launch to 2024. It is needing more time to ensure that the platform is interoperable across every device type and security system. “Knox Matrix’s development is going strong, but there are challenges on the way to the next frontier. These include reconciling the many different types of products, with varying operating systems and security standards, into a frictionless system able to work as one,” it said in the Newsroom post.

Samsung now plans to launch the first Knox Matrix-compatible models in 2024. It will start with mobile Galaxy products, such as smartphones and tablets. The Galaxy S24 series could be the first to get the new security system. If not, we might be looking at the 2024 foldables. The company will gradually add more device categories such as home appliance devices within the next two to three years. Partner devices will follow next, though the development for partner device compatibility is already underway.