What is Samsung Knox? And why is it on my phone?

We hear this question and others like it quite often. We’d like to help answer some of your most frequently asked questions about Knox below.

What is Knox on my Samsung?

Samsung Knox is our commitment to a business level phone, a brand that encompasses a suite of mobile solutions based on the defense-grade security platform. When Samsung mentions ‘Knox’, it refers to this underlying technology that is factory installed in the hardware of its latest smartphones, tablets, and wearables and is expanding to Samsung’s consumer electronics and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The ‘Secured by Knox’ sign you see when turning on your phone means that the cutting-edge Knox technology is embedded into your phone, ensuring an intrinsic security, a foundation for advanced, elaborate management capabilities.

Samsung has designed a suite of business security, management, and productivity solutions that leverage this base technology, in addition to a free consumer app, Secure Folder.

Does Samsung Knox cost money?

The Samsung Knox platform is free – it is baked into the hardware and software of most Samsung phones, tablets, and wearables. By using a Samsung phone, you are in essence benefiting from our guarantee of security – because it comes within the phone. Based on this solution, we also offer a series of business and consumer solutions built on top of them, which comes in different pricing options.

Samsung consumers are advised to use the free Secure Folder to take advantage of Knox features for protecting their private data on device. Business users are encouraged to look at our range of Knox IT solutions.

How does Samsung Knox work?

All data on Knox devices are securely encrypted by default, using a government-certified encryption module. In the event of device theft or loss, anyone who picks up your phone won’t be able go past your device lock to see what’s on it.

Samsung Knox phones, tablets, and wearables are always running in a hardware-backed trusted environment. They’re designed to block any attempts at tampering, shielding you from attacks during boot-up, run time, and even when powered off.

One of the features that consumers often see is the Knox warranty bit. It’s a security feature that detects if unofficial software has been installed on your phone and trips its one-time programmable, irreversible bit e-fuse. This prevents any security-sensitive operations and data from being attacked on a compromised phone.

Is Samsung Knox an antivirus?

The Knox mobile security platform consists of overlapping defense and security mechanisms that protect against intrusion, malware, and more malicious threats. Although it may sound similar to antivirus software, it is not a program, but rather a platform built into device hardware.

Is Knox secure?

Government and related organizations around the world have some of the most stringent information and technology security requirements. Samsung Electronics works closely with these organizations on a continuous basis to ensure that our products and solutions meet and exceed these evolving requirements. See the list of global organizations that have approved Knox security.