By Bahk Eun-ji
LG Electronics said Monday that its flagship handset, the G3, has passed checks on its ability to securely store information conducted by the U.S. government.
The G3 achieved the Mobile Device Fundamentals Protection Profile (MDFPP) standard according to the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) thanks to LG’s “Knock-code” that helps users gain secure access to their phones by tapping a personalized pattern on the screen.
LG said that the method of unlocking the phone has more than 86,000 possible combinations.
The government seal of approval means that the smartphone is categorized as suitable for the protection of U.S. government information.
The smartphone also has anti-theft software, “Kill Switch,” that can render the phone unusable if it is stolen.
The Kill Switch feature also got positive reviews from users overseas, the spokesman added.
It allows users to lock their phones and delete all the data on it permanently after uploading it on a cloud server.
“LG’s smartphones will make more inroads into the North American market because G3 security features have been well-recognized,” said Lee Yaun-mo senior vice president of the U.S. mobile communication sales marketing division at LG.
G3 is the first LG mobile device to be approved.
Samsung Electronics also achieved MDFPP approval from the U.S. government in October thanks to the company’s “Knox,” which provides security features that enable business and personal content to coexist on the same mobile device.
The nation’s two tech giants will begin to compete in the business-to-business (B2B) market where security issues are a consideration.