A fresh approach to secure mobile device usage in classified areas

Mobile devices have become indispensable tools for government employees. Whether coordinating disaster response or managing daily administrative tasks, smartphones enable seamless communication, provide real-time access to critical information and increase productivity in and out of the office. Even so, many government agencies, especially those handling classified information, must balance the risk introduced by mobile devices against the value they deliver to the mission. In some cases, they have calculated that the risks outweighed the rewards, leading to the creation of “no mobile device allowed” locations. However, recent advancements in mobile computing, demands for digital transformation and high-assurance security capabilities warrant a fresh reexamination of that balance and the security policies that govern it.

No phones allowed?

Smartphones are ever-present in our personal and professional lives. In government, mobile devices deliver situational awareness, enhance collaboration and support informed decision-making. However, in secure spaces where classified information is discussed or handled, concerns over espionage risks, such as spyware-enabled phone surveillance, have led to restrictions on phone usage. Employees are often asked to keep their phones outside secure spaces in a locker. These phone-free areas effectively create “dark periods” that cut employees off from the information flow and disrupt their ability to communicate from the moment they enter the workspace. This lack of access to important data creates frustration, impedes productivity and slows critical decision-making, negatively impacting the workday experience and contributing to employee dissatisfaction.

Removing barriers to device usage in secure spaces with hardware-based protections

Samsung and Privoro have developed a joint solution to remove critical smartphone surveillance vulnerabilities, which finally enables approved use of smartphones in secure spaces. The dual-layer solution uniquely combines physical camera protection and audio masking with chip-level control of radio frequency (RF) signals — including cellular, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC). This provides agencies with enforceable, multi-layered control over the device’s camera, microphones and network connectivity.

Privoro’s SafeCase may look like a phone case, but it’s actually a specialized, high-security device that protects against spyware-enabled surveillance. The solution provides comprehensive telemetry that enables an agency’s security team to set, monitor and strictly enforce critical access policies. SafeCase’s audio masking and physical camera shutters block audio and video capture from the device, preventing eavesdropping on the user and their environment, but maintaining full access to other phone features.

Through hardware integration with Samsung’s unique Hardware Device Manager (HDM), the SafeCase provides granular control over the phone’s RF radios including cellular, NFC, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. With the cellular radio physically disabled below the OS level, Galaxy smartphone users are protected from both local and remote attacks, including known mobile tracking solutions that intercept calls, messages and location data. This Privoro + HDM integration is available for Samsung Galaxy S22 and S23 series smartphones, with S24 series support arriving in 2025.

The Privoro-Samsung Secure Spaces solution uses two physically-isolated hardware systems, and enforces device policy at a hardware level below the operating system (OS) level. This design eliminates single points of failure and ensures that even compromised applications or OS kernel vulnerabilities cannot bypass security controls — delivering the high-assurance security and control requirements demanded by classified environments.

A new era of classified mobile computing

The Samsung-Privoro Secure Spaces solution represents a breakthrough in mobile device protection, safeguarding data and defending against surveillance attacks even after a rare breach of the mobile OS. It builds upon Samsung’s proven track record of providing government agencies the security, visibility and control they need to confidently deploy advanced mobile capabilities in mission-critical environments.

The cornerstone of these efforts is Samsung Knox, which combines a defense-grade security platform built into Samsung devices from the chip up with a comprehensive set of cloud-based solutions that enable IT administrators to secure, deploy, monitor and manage devices with precise control¹.

These key advancements in mobile security have led to a promising reexamination of the policies banning mobile devices in secure spaces. High-assurance controls enable security-conscious agencies to safely introduce select mobile capabilities, providing personnel with timely access to critical resources and improved situational awareness. Benefits to agencies include:

• Increased productivity: Agency employees accomplish more in less time when they have continuous access to tools that support their workflow, such as email, messaging, files and calendars.

• Accelerated decision-making: With uninterrupted access to communications and real-time situational awareness, agency leaders can make informed decisions more quickly.

• Improved workforce satisfaction: Government agencies will be in a better position to attract and retain employees by providing access to familiar technology and the flexibility it represents,

• Enhanced security awareness: Security managers can use mobile device telemetry to gain visibility into the people and endpoints entering and exiting classified spaces, supporting their mitigation of data exfiltration risks.

Agencies can simplify their secure computing infrastructure by using protected mobile devices as primary workstations in secure spaces, reducing reliance on traditional laptops, PCs or pen and paper processes. This can be done by pairing a Galaxy smartphone with Samsung DeX, which creates a PC-like experience just by connecting a Galaxy smartphone to a monitor, keyboard and mouse/trackpad. DeX can be used with a USB CAC/PIV card reader² to access enterprise applications within a FIPS-encrypted virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)³ environment securely.

Looking to the future

Samsung and Privoro’s Secure Spaces solution delivers the enforceable, high-assurance security needed to overcome past barriers to allowing mobile device usage in secure areas. Its unique, hardware-based protections open up new opportunities for government agencies seeking to mitigate security concerns in the new era of digital transformation and mobile connectivity.

Perhaps soon, “no mobile devices allowed” signs will become a thing of the past.

Learn more about Samsung government mobility solutions.

¹Cloud capabilities of Knox Suite require purchase of separate license.

²CAC/PIV card reader sold separately.

³Third-party VDI solutions sold separately.