Galaxy S20 security is already old hat as Samsung launches new safety silicon

Samsung will launch a new standalone turnkey security chip to protect mobile devices, the company announced today. The chip, which has the said-once-never-forgotten name "S3FV9RR" – aka the Mobile SE Guardian 4 – is a follow-up to the dedicated security silicon baked into the Galaxy S20 smartphone series launched in February …

[Pete 39]

Repairs

Or perhaps they want to stop repairs other than at official Samsung shops, and then only for a short while.

[IGotOut]

The question is...

has it got the official '"5 eyes approved" backdoors now required by "free" governments.

[Claptrap314]

Re: The question is...

Not just "5 eyes". There's the China-required anti-terrorism module and the Russia-recommended doctrinal purity code. The EU-approved module will be coming once the spec is agreed to some time in 2030.

[DCdave]

Re: The question is...

2030? That's the provisional spec to be sent out for further consultation, I think you'll find...

[a_mu]

Anoonymous

Its also a great way to positively identify a device / person holding it,

Who needs an ID card,

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Anoonymous

Why, a burner phone remains a burner phone: They might positively identify the phone, but nothing changes as long as they don't know who it belongs to.

[Paul Hovnanian]

Re: Anoonymous

"as long as they don't know who it belongs to"

It belongs to the individual whose biometric signature locked away inside matches.

[Hides chopped off digit of original owner as authorities close in.]

[A random security guy]

A chip helps but doesn't make something secure

How many devices have ARM's TrustZone? And how many actually use them? And how many devices actually inject keys into the devices? And which software actually uses the processors?

The secure element that Samsung is making needs to be USED properly. I'll believe it when I see it.

[Brian Miller]

Re: A chip helps but doesn't make something secure

The ARM TrustZone is a joke, and it's a rather bad one. If Samsung has implemented their cryptography properly, and if the firmware and OS use it properly, then it goes a long way towards eliminating a lot of threats. Positive identification of a phone really isn't that big of a deal. The big deal is to keep malevolent code from running on the device.

[Anonymous Coward]

I see a Sci-Fi film themed advert here

Mobile SE Guardian of the Galaxy... 4!

:-D

[jake]

"we expect our connected devices, such as smart phones or tablets, to be highly secure"

Who is "we", Kemosabe?

There is no such thing as a portable secure device. To suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

[Charles 9]

IS it? Why not provide some Turing-style proof of this so we can just declare that mobile security is an oxymoron?

[Kevin McMurtrie]

Unbreakable

Samsung has upgraded their sieve of security from wire to heavy gauge stainless steel.

[gzgweilo]

I guess even less chances of "rooting"

"and secure boot features. When a bootloader initiates, the chip initiates a chain of trust sequence to validate each components' firmware."

[EnviableOne]

another marketing feautre

to get the PHB to want everyone to have the Note 20

[the Jim bloke]

How many failed login attempts

..before it explode in a ball of flame?

Samsung have some prior art here