Earlier this month, Samsung released a new app for the Galaxy Note 8 called "Secure Wi-Fi" that aimed to protect users when on public Wi-Fi networks from potential threats and attackers. This came as a result of the KRACK WPA2 Wi-Fi vulnerability that was discovered in October, and Samsung's now upgrading its Secure Wi-Fi service thanks to a new collaboration with McAfee.
With this collaboration, McAfee will now be in charge of the backend for the Secure Wi-Fi VPN so that those using the service can have enhanced protection when using the Note 8 on public Wi-Fi networks and hotspots.
McAfee says that a survey it conducted revealed 58% of individuals know how to check and see if the Wi-Fi network they're on is safe to use, but even so, less than half of that 58% actually does something to really make sure that the connection is truly secure. Secure Wi-Fi on the Note 8 acts like most other VPNs by encrypting all online activity and user data, and the new McAfee partnership should enhance the effectiveness of these features.
Per John Giamatteo, McAfee's Executive Vice President of the Consumer Business Group –
Increasingly consumers are using their mobile phones to connect to both public and private Wi-Fi. By encrypting Samsung users' sensitive data with Secure Wi-Fi, we're helping ensure they can connect with the confidence they need to feel secure.
Secure Wi-Fi is available for the Galaxy Note 8 in the United States for users on T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular, and it'll be launching in Europe later this year as part of a software update for the phone. All Note 8 users get 250MB of free data with Secure Wi-Fi per month, and if they want more, there's an option to purchase more bandwidth.
These are all the Android devices updated to fix KRACK Wi-Fi vulnerability
