Securing the Modern Home in Southeast Asia and Oceania for Smarter, and Safer Living

By CU Kim, President & CEO for Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania

Protecting our personal sanctuary and our belongings are second nature. This is why we check our locks, close our windows, and invest in gates. Today, however, the modern connected home has dozens of invisible, digital entryways: From smart TVs and refrigerators, to robot vacuums, speakers, and more. While these bring convenience in a new era of intelligent living, they also represent potential vulnerabilities from within.

This shift has not been lost on consumers in Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO). In fact, reports are finding that data privacy and security are now key purchasing considerations for consumers in markets like Australia[1], Indonesia[2], and Singapore[3]. This sentiment is echoed globally; a recent global Samsung survey found that respondents expect AI-driven security features to protect their homes and ensure their families’ safety, with “Security / safe” frequently cited as key criteria for AI home appliances[4].

With our increasingly connected lives, the very concept of home security needs a critical rethink. Having true peace of mind now depends on safeguarding our digital lives with the same rigor that we apply to our physical ones. Unlike physical break-ins that usually leave visible signs, a digital intrusion is often invisible. The target is not your television set, but your personal data, your family’s routines, and your privacy.

The real-world impact of a home cybersecurity breach can extend far beyond your front door. Poorly protected devices like at-home appliances and screens can face malware risks, with attacks that potentially disrupt their features, give hackers access to device cameras, enable theft of data, and more.

For the modern consumer, the challenge of managing the security settings of their various home appliances has intensified, especially as they embrace more smart devices. This creates the need for a holistic, built-in solution that works seamlessly in the background, offering robust protection without requiring constant user intervention. Without the right safeguards in place, consumers could find themselves vulnerable to privacy breaches – just imagine a robot vacuum’s camera recording footage of house interiors without authorization and revealing when a home is empty, or a compromised appliance revealing sensitive personal information like passwords and biometric data.

Security by Design, Our Layered Approach

At Samsung, our goal is to deliver trusted and personalized experiences through reliable security solutions that protect your different devices and appliances. From on-device features like Knox Vault, to the Knox Matrix which enables ecosystem-wide protection, this secure foundation allows your appliances to safely learn from your daily behaviors, providing you with greater ease, convenience, and care.

Samsung Knox is our answer to this challenge; a comprehensive, multi-layered security platform that acts as an invisible shield for the entire ecosystem of Samsung devices, with Knox Vault[5] and Knox Matrix[6] being key innovations within that platform.

Think of Knox Vault as a physical, safe built directly into the hardware of our devices. This is where the most sensitive data like cryptographic keys and digital certificates is stored, completely isolated from the main system. Across our screen-equipped home appliances, we’ve also integrated the Passkey[7] feature – a digital credential that allows users to log in to home appliance apps and websites[8] using biometrics such as fingerprints.

Connectivity within the Samsung ecosystem likewise helps to safeguard against threats when they go undetected. Samsung’s Knox Matrix creates a trusted, self-protecting network that turns a smart home into a “smart shield,” where more connected devices mean stronger overall security. The Trust Chain in particular — which is a part of Knox Matrix — is managed on a private blockchain, enabling devices to intelligently monitor each other for threats and isolates any compromised element to protect the rest of the ecosystem.

Other features like Knox Matrix Credential Sync secures user information through end-to-end encryption as it moves between devices, while a Cross Platform SDK ensures consistent security standards across different operating systems like Android, Tizen, and Windows. This allows users to safely and conveniently enjoy a hyper-connected experience, knowing their devices are working together to stay secure.

The vision of a secure, hyper-connected home is already being realized in the region. In Malaysia, for instance, Samsung has partnered with property developer Gamuda Land to set up a Samsung Bespoke AI home show unit at The Camellia[9], showcasing how a comprehensive, AI-integrated ecosystem of appliances can work together seamlessly on the SmartThings platform, while protected with Samsung Knox so that homeowners can enjoy the convenience of intelligent living with peace of mind.

Earning Consumers Trust Through a Legacy of Action

Our commitment to security is not a recent reaction to market trends, but a long-standing promise to our customers. Samsung is a pioneer in digital security, leveraging our global expertise from the highly secure mobile industry and applying it across our entire product portfolio.

Our commitment is validated by leading independent organizations. For example, Samsung was the first in the home appliance industry to be verified at the highest level “Diamond” under the UL Solutions Marketing Claim Verification IoT Security Rating Program for our Bespoke AI Refrigerators with AI Family Hub™[10] in 2024, with many more meeting international standards for software updates, data encryption and more. Additionally, our Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI was the first robot vacuum of its kind to earn the “Privacy by Design” certification from the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).

As AI and connectivity make our homes more intuitive and helpful, the foundation of trust becomes more critical. Our goal is to deliver a smart home experience that is as secure as it is seamless.

To ensure this trust endures, we are already preparing for future threats. Samsung is actively researching Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)[11], developing new security solutions to ensure our devices remain secure against the quantum computing threats of tomorrow, safeguarding our products over their long lifecycles.

While our customers focus on locking their front door, they can have absolute confidence that Samsung is tirelessly securing every digital one. Our vision is clear: it’s not just about smarter living; it’s about safer living.

For more information, please visit: https://news.samsung.com/my

[1] What do Aussie Consumers consider when looking to purchase consumer electronics? – YouGov

[2] Data privacy: how concerned are consumers in APAC – and does it affect the devices they buy? – YouGov

[3] YouGov Report: Consumer electronics: Safety and sustainability

[4] Survey: Global Consumers Prioritize Personalization and Security in AI Home Appliances – Samsung Global Newsroom

[5] Currently applied to Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra and appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch AI Home, and AI Family Hub™ screen launching in 2025, except Bespoke AI Oven.

[6] Currently applied to all Wi-Fi enabled appliances launching in 2025 and planned to be expanded to chosen models that launched in 2024 from September 2025.

[7] Currently applied to appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch AI Home, and AI Family Hub™ screen launching in 2025, except Bespoke AI Oven.

[8] Feature is available on websites that support the international Fast Identity Online (FIDO) standard.

[9] Samsung Showcases Bespoke AI Home In Collaboration with Gamuda Land – Samsung Newsroom Malaysia

[10] RF**DB99****, RF**DB95****, RF**DG9H****, available in North and South America, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, India, Australia, Korea

[11] Currently applied to appliances with 7-inch or 9-inch AI Home, and AI Family Hub™ screen launching in 2025, except Bespoke AI Oven.