Samsung phones cleared for US government use

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday some of its Galaxy mobile devices were approved by the National Security Agency for use with classified U.S. government networks and data, a boost to the company's efforts to expand in the security-conscious business market.

The South Korean company said the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Note 4 and seven other smartphones or tablets became the first consumer devices validated by a partnership between the National Security Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The validation clears Samsung devices to be considered by U.S. government departments to handle all range of classified information.

The approval comes as Samsung tries to expand in the business market. The company developed KNOX, software for security-conscious business clients. The KNOX software is featured in the Galaxy devices that were approved this time.

Earlier this year, Samsung agreed with Google to include KNOX mobile security software in the next version of Android operating system.

Earlier this year, Samsung mobile devices were approved by the Department of Defense to handle sensitive but unclassified info.