Mobile devices are relatively small, but they are indeed powerful, and can be packed with a lot of sophisticated hardware to make them what they are.
In the modern days of the internet where smart devices are always connected to the internet and prone to being lost, these devices are equipped with software-based security measures to keep unwanted people away. But there is always more that can be done, as software security isn't always as good as physical ones.
Apple and Google for example, have introduced physical data security chips inside their phones to boost their safekeeping practices to another level.
And here, Samsung is joining them with what it calls the 'Security Element', or SE.
According to Dongho Shin, senior vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics, as quoted by Samsung on its Newsroom post:
"Samsung has a long and proven history in security solutions such as smart card ICs, IoT processors and other semiconductor products that require robust security. Our new turnkey SE solution for mobile devices will not only keep user data safer on the go but also enable new mobile applications that will broaden and enrich our everyday lives."
Consisting of a security chip S3K250AF, Samsung's SE also comes equipped with optimized software, that is designed to fully guards private data on an isolated data storage.
Initially introduced inside its flagship Galaxy S20 lineup, Samsung’s SE simply separates its memory from the main device storage to isolate the confidential information it is designed to store. Samsung says that SE is a tamper-resistant strongbox that stores users' passwords, PINs, and cryptocurrency credentials, and more separate from typical mobile memory chips such as eUFS and eMMC.
"From checking emails and making online payments to replacing house keys and airplane tickets, smart devices continue to offer more applications that enforce stronger security requirements," the company added.
The Samsung chip can isolate sensitive information by combining a microcontroller, advanced hardware-level protection and an optimized secure OS.
While mobile devices generally have security measures in place to fend off tampering, dedicated chips like SE certainly ramps up everything. According to Samsung, the SE is even designed to defend against possible reverse engineering, power glitches and laser attacks.
In addition, SE manages failed attempts and prevents replay attacks by accepting only the latest authentication request as the valid one.
This should make it extremely hard for anyone to access or copy confidential information from SE-equipped devices.
Samsung SE here is very similar to Apple's T2 Security Chip and Google's Titan M offerings.
But according to Samsung Electronics, one the world's largest manufacturer of consumer electronics and semiconductors by revenue, the chip has earned earned a Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (CC EAL) 5+ rating, which Samsung proudly boasts as the highest level received by a mobile component.
The SE is a key piece of SamsungPay, which uses a similar approach to Apple's use of a 'secure enclave' in the iPhone to protect credentials, payment tokens, and biometric data for payments using Apple Pay. Apple's secure enclave is found in the iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and HomePod.
Samsung said that its SE system on chip is already being mass-produced for its future phones and probably even beyond just its phones.