Samsung TVs Hit Ground-Breaking Security Standard With New Encryption Certification

Perhaps because watching TV has traditionally been seen as such a laid back, passive activity for so long, many viewers never spare a thought for the potential security hazard their trusty ‘gogglebox’ represents. In reality, though, most TVs these days are pretty much permanently online (either delivering advanced control and content recommendation systems, or actively streaming TV shows and movies from today’s many video streaming services) without being able to benefit from the sort of sophisticated hardware or software security “barriers” associated with PCs, mobile phones and other more processor-heavy devices.

Samsung, though, has just struck a substantial blow against the criminals out to hack their way into your life via the payment and personal details now stored on many TVs by earning FIPS 140-3 Certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology for its CryptoCore encryption model.

CryptoCore is essentially a software library that encrypts and decrypts data during both transmission and storage, and from 2025 it will become part of Samsung’s long-running (since 2015) Knox security system. According to Samsung, CryptoCore will be embedded into Samsung TVs (and other key devices such as monitors and digital signage products) via the brand’s proprietary Tizen OS, ensuring that personal data linked to Samsung accounts sill be securely encrypted, SmartThings authentication information will be protected from external hacking threats, and content viewed on TVs will benefit from enhanced copyright protection.

Achieving the FIPS 140-3 Certification means that CryptoCore has passed NIST’s comprehensive battery of tests to ensure its security, integrity and reliability. The certification is recognised as a key security feature by governments in 10 countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany and Australia, and builds on the Common Criteria (CC) certification Samsung has achieved for 10 years now to ensure that users can have unprecedented confidence in the safety of their key information when using their increasingly permanently online Samsung devices.

“As home entertainment systems become more connected, it becomes critical for technology companies to safeguard the personal data that enables the seamless connectivity enjoyed by so many,” said Yongjae Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the R&D Team, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “By integrating the FIPS 140-3-certified CryptoCore into our Smart TVs, Samsung is taking our commitment to secure home entertainment a step further and ensuring that our users can freely experience the value of our products.”

Note that while the FIPS 140-3 Certified CryptoCore system will be a feature of Samsung products equipped with the latest, ninth generation of Tizen OS from next year, it currently seems unlikely that it will be possible to roll it out to previous Samsung TV generations via a firmware update. Even the strongest version of Samsung’s current Knox security platform, after all, incorporating a Knox Vault on-chip element, is only available on the brand’s top-end QN900D and QN800D 8K TVs due to its hardware as well as software requirement.

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