Upgrading hardware can be risky business. It is good to health check your other devices prior to making changes.
Hardware device manufacturers, such as a Trezor or Ledger, periodically release firmware updates. While not every update is necessary, some updates are recommended for security enhancements. Some update ensure you remain compatible with third-party software and Sovereign Recovery.
If you have not yet initialized your hardware device, added it to your Casa app or used the device to secure any funds, you are safe to upgrade your firmware. It is best practice to upgrade your firmware prior to adding the device to Casa.
After the device has been initialized and is being used as part of your Casa Vault, we recommend upgrading your firmware with caution, one device at a time.
Why the caution?
Some firmware changes may wipe the device during an update. This is not common, but it can happen. If you have the seed phrase for the device, it can be used to restore the device in the event it is wiped.
For Casa users that are seedless or mostly seedless in the Casa Vault, it is best practice to health check a remaining quorum of keys prior to updating the firmware. If a device is wiped, they will be used to perform a key rotation.
- 3-Key Vaults, health check the mobile key and verify the answers to the Casa Recovery Key questions.
- 5-Key Vaults, additionally health check one other hardware device. Casa Premium and Private Clients can use the recovery key with video verification.
When updating, it is best to update one device at a time and perform a health check after each update to verify that the device works as expected.
If your hardware device is seedless and wiped during a firmware update, you can use the other keys in the Casa Vault to perform a key rotation.
What do I do if the device wipes?
If you have the seed phrase for the device, it can be used to restore the device in the event it is wiped.
For seedless devices, you will reinitialize the device so that it has a new key. This new key will be used to replace the old key during a key rotation.