Firmware Update#

This guide describes how to update the firmware on the Nitrokey Pro.

Warning

This guide is still in an experimental state!

Important

Updating could lead to data loss, so make sure you have proper backup login methods enabled and/or ensure that the Nitrokey Pro is not the only way to authenticate/2FA for your applications/services.

How to Update#

Important

Never disconnect the Nitrokey Pro or abort the process while updating, this will likely render your device useless!

  1. Make sure you have the latest pynitrokey version installed, please check the installation instructions for your OS.

  2. Download the latest stable firmware image.

Important

For production use you should choose the latest stable version (so only versions, that don’t contain i.e. “pre-release” or “RC”).

  1. To apply the update run:

$ nitropy pro enable-update
$ nitropy pro update nitrokey-pro-firmware-<version>.bin

Alternative Update Method#

Alternatively dfu-util can be used for the firmware update:

  1. Install dfu-util

Binaries for Windows are available at:
For macOS binaries are available via Homebrew:

macOS only: Install dfu-util via Homebrew

brew install dfu-util

  1. Use Nitrokey App v1.5-RC7 or higher to change the boot mode of the Nitrokey Pro to update mode.

  2. Now the following command to apply the update

$ dfu-util -D update_binary.bin

  1. The boot mode can now be changed back again with the Nitrokey App.

Troubleshooting#

Issue: libnitrokey could not be found.

In case the libnitrokey could not be found automatically, the path to it can be provided with env. variable:

$ env LIBNK_PATH=/libnk/path/libnitrokey.so nitropy pro enable-update

To find libnitrokey on your system use:

$ locate libnitrokey.so
Issue: I get permission denied for /dev/hidrawX during update.

This likely means your user has not the needed permissions to read/write the device. Please make sure you have set up the correct udev-rules. Download this udev-rules set and place it in your udev rules directory (e.g., /etc/udev/rules.d). Then remove your Nitrokey Pro from the USB slot and run: udevadm control --reload-rules && udevadm trigger or reboot your machine. Afterwards the update should work without the permission issue.