Nitrokey Start, Linux¶
- Install
scdaemon
and GnuPG 2.1 or higher by using your package manager (e.g.apt update && apt install scdaemon gpg2
on Ubuntu). - Connect your Nitrokey to your computer.
- Use GnuPG to generate new keys or import existing ones.
12345678
) and then the User PIN
(default: 123456
) to your own choices. - The PIN must consist of
at least 14 characters (starting from RTM.8), can contain any
character (not only numbers). Do not select only numbers. If your
environment allows that, use emoticons or national characters. - The
longer the PIN the better. It is possible to use 6 randomly selected
words instead as well for the same or better security than random
character string. - Use ‘gpg –card-edit’ -> ‘admin’ -> ‘passwd’ to
achieve this (for Admin PIN case). - Please be careful to change Admin
PIN first and User PIN second! Otherwise the admin-less mode got
activated, see this
instructions
for further information. - Optionally Reset code can be set up
(guide).
The minimum length accepted is 8 characters, however it should be as
long as User PIN. 5. KDF-DO allows for a shorter PIN of 8 characters
minimum, by executing part of the calculations on the PC. Please use
greater length for the increased security.Firmware version 1.2.5 or below: In case you forget a PIN or enter it wrongly three times you need the reset code to unblock the PIN. Otherwise the device wouldn’t be usable anymore! Therefore pleaseset the reset codeas well when initialising the key!
Your Nitrokey is now ready to use. Checkout the various use cases and supported applications. ## Key Creation with OpenPGP or S/MIME There are two widely used standards for email encryption. While OpenPGP/GnuPG is popular among individuals, S/MIME/x.509 is mostly used by enterprises. If you are in doubt which one to choose, you should use OpenPGP.
- instructions for using the OpenPGP standard with the Nitrokey
- instructions for using S/MIME with the Nitrokey
Please note that the Nitrokey App can not be used for this device!
Troubleshooting¶
On some GNU/Linux systems it is necessary to insert the UDEV rules for the Nitrokey device manually. If you followed the above instructions and get the message:
gpg: OpenPGP card not available: No such device
please install the Nitrokey App or type the following commands in the terminal to download and install the UDEV rules:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Nitrokey/libnitrokey/master/data/41-nitrokey.rules
sudo mv 41-nitrokey.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/