Samsung is one of the most popular Android smartphone manufacturer, and that happens for a number of reasons.
Besides the fact that Samsung is a conglomerate company with tons of resources, the company has long focused on providing security features to its phones. With the Samsung Knox platform, for example, Galaxy smartphones can already protect users against so-called zero-click exploits.
A zero-click exploit, which can exploit weaknesses in systems without user interaction, hence the name "zero click." This kind of attack can arrive on users' phone in the form of an attachment and immediately sets to work once it's received.
Samsung Knox has the ability to protect users against that them when they come in audio or video form.
This time, Samsung is ramping up its ability a notch, using 'Samsung Message Guard', which can also protect users against zero-click exploits in images.
And that it can do that, behind the scene, even while the user is sleeping.
Samsung Message Guard is essentially a sandbox.
What it does, is quarantining any image file that arrives on users' phone. After containing it inside a sandbox, in order to prevent the file to execute any commands embedded in it, the feature would then check the file to see whether it's really a malware-free file or not.
By isolating the received file from the rest of the device, this precaution should prevent any form of malware, even the worst of zero-clicks, from gaining access to users' phone.
Samsung said in a news post, that the feature "neutralizes any potential threat hiding in image files before they have a chance to do you any harm."
Here, the process runs entirely in the background, meaning that it shouldn't cause any noticeable interruptions on the users' side.
The feature also does not need users to activate any special setting.
According to Samsung, Samsung explains Message Guard is like a "virtual quarantine."
Initially, the security solution only works on Samsung Messages and Messages by Google, initially introduced to its high-end lineup, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series.
Samsung however has plans to gradually roll out the feature to other Galaxy smartphones and tablets later, as well as to third-party apps, later this 2023.
Little do people know, that receiving an image could be devastating.
Some hackers have managed to use zero-clicks exploit methods, and send their attacks through images.
Only by receiving an image with the exploit, that devices can get infected.
While everyone knows not to open random links or attachments, that doesn't apply to zero-clicks.
This is why zero-click exploits are considered advanced cyberattacks, and that they're sophisticated.
Using Samsung Message Guard, Samsung wants to ensure that when an image file arrives, "it is trapped and isolated from the rest of the device."
"This prevents malicious code from accessing your phone’s files or interacting with its operating system. Samsung Message Guard checks the file bit by bit and processes it in a controlled environment to ensure it cannot infect the rest of your device," the company said.