Secure Starting Procedure

With the NitroPad and NitroPC, malicious changes to the BIOS, operating system, and software can be easily detected. For example, if you left your NitroPad in a hotel room, you can use your Nitrokey to check if it has been tampered with while you were away. If an attacker modifies the NitroPad’s firmware or operating system, the Nitrokey will detect this (instructions below).

Each time you start the NitroPad or the NitroPC, you should - if possible - connect your Nitrokey. If the Nitrokey is plugged in and the system has not been modified, the following screen will appear when it is turned on.

The box marked in red contains the information that the BIOS has not been changed and that the shared secret of the NitroPad or the NitroPC and the Nitrokey match. But this information is not sufficient, because an attacker could have faked it. If at the same time the Nitrokey also flashes green, everything is fine. An attacker would have to have had access to the NitroPad or NitroPC and Nitrokey to achieve this result. It is therefore important that you do not leave both devices unattended.

If the information on the NitroPad or NitroPC does not match the information on the Nitrokey, the background would turn red and the message “Invalid Code” would appear. This could indicate that manipulation has taken place.

How the boot process may look like if the system has been changed (for example after an update) and what error messages may otherwise occur is described further below.

Tip

The NitroPad and NitroPC can also be started without the Nitrokey. If you don’t have the Nitrokey with you, but are sure that the hardware has not been manipulated, you can boot your system without checking.