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- Add requirement that certified devices must be available for purchase with Qubes OS preinstalled. See: https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/5795/ - Improve wording - Add link to HCL in intro - Wrap text
185 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
185 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
---
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lang: en
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layout: doc
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permalink: /doc/certified-hardware/
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redirect_from:
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- /doc/hardware/
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- /doc/certified-laptops/
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- /hardware-certification/
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ref: 144
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title: Certified hardware
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---
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The Qubes OS Project aims to partner with a select few computer vendors to
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ensure that Qubes users have reliable hardware purchasing options. We aim for
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these vendors to be as diverse as possible in terms of geography, cost, and
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availability.
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<div class="alert alert-danger" role="alert">
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<i class="fa fa-exclamation-triangle"></i>
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<b>Warning:</b> The Qubes OS Project certifies only that a particular
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hardware <em>configuration</em> is <em>supported</em> by Qubes OS and is
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available to purchase with Qubes OS preinstalled. We take no responsibility
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for any vendor's manufacturing, shipping, payment, or other practices; nor
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can we control whether physical hardware is modified (whether maliciously or
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otherwise) <i>en route</i> to the user.
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</div>
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You may also be interested in the [community-recommended
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hardware](https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/5560) list and the [hardware
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compatibility list (HCL)](/hcl/).
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## Qubes-certified Laptops
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Qubes-certified laptops are certified for a [major
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release](/doc/version-scheme/) and regularly tested by the Qubes developers to
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ensure compatibility with all of Qubes' features within that major release. The
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developers test all new updates within that major release to ensure that no
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regressions are introduced.
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### Insurgo PrivacyBeast X230
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[](https://insurgo.ca/produit/qubesos-certified-privacybeast_x230-reasonably-secured-laptop/)
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The [Insurgo PrivacyBeast
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X230](https://insurgo.ca/produit/qubesos-certified-privacybeast_x230-reasonably-secured-laptop/)
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meets and exceeds our hardware certification requirements for Qubes 4. Read our
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[announcement](/news/2019/07/18/insurgo-privacybeast-qubes-certification/) of
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the certification for further details!
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### NitroPad X230
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[](https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nitropad-x230-67)
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The [NitroPad X230](https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nitropad-x230-67)
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satisfies all hardware certification requirements for Qubes 4, offering users
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extensive hardware security options. Read our
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[announcement](/news/2020/03/04/nitropad-x230-qubes-certification/) of the
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certification for further details!
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### NitroPad T430
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[](https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nitropad-t430-119)
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The [NitroPad T430](https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop/product/nitropad-t430-119)
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satisfies all hardware certification requirements for Qubes 4, offering users
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extensive hardware security options. Read our
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[announcement](/news/2021/06/01/nitropad-t430-qubes-certification/) of the
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certification for further details!
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## Become Hardware Certified
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If you are a hardware vendor, you can have your hardware certified as
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compatible with Qubes OS. The benefits of hardware certification include:
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- Your customers can purchase with confidence, knowing that they can take full
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advantage of Qubes OS on your hardware for a specific major version.
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- We will continue testing your hardware to ensure compatibility with the
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supported major version. In the course of this testing, we will also test
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your hardware against upcoming versions, which can help with future planning.
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- Your hardware will continue to be compatible with Qubes OS as it further
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develops within that major version, and we will work with you toward
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preserving compatibility and certification in future releases.
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- You can support the development of Qubes OS.
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## Hardware Certification Requirements
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(Please note that these are the requirements for hardware *certification*,
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*not* the requirements for *running* Qubes OS. For the latter, please see the
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[system requirements](/doc/system-requirements/).)
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A basic requirement is that all Qubes-certified devices must be be available
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for purchase with Qubes OS preinstalled. Customers may be offered the option to
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select from a list of various operating systems (or no operating system at all)
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to be preinstalled, but Qubes OS must be on that list in order to maintain
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Qubes hardware certification.
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One of the most important security improvements introduced with the release of
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Qubes 4.0 was to replace paravirtualization (PV) technology with
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**hardware-enforced memory virtualization**, which recent processors have made
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possible thanks to so-called Second Level Address Translation
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([SLAT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation)), also
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known as
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[EPT](https://ark.intel.com/Search/FeatureFilter?productType=processors&ExtendedPageTables=true&MarketSegment=Mobile)
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in Intel parlance. SLAT (EPT) is an extension to Intel VT-x virtualization,
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which originally was capable of only CPU virtualization but not memory
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virtualization and hence required a complex Shadow Page Tables approach. We
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hope that embracing SLAT-based memory virtualization will allow us to prevent
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disastrous security bugs, such as the infamous
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[XSA-148](https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-148.html), which --- unlike many
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other major Xen bugs --- regrettably did
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[affect](https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-secpack/blob/master/QSBs/qsb-022-2015.txt)
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Qubes OS. Consequently, we require SLAT support of all certified hardware
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beginning with Qubes OS 4.0.
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Another important requirement is that Qubes-certified hardware should run only
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**open-source boot firmware** (aka "the BIOS"), such as
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[coreboot](https://www.coreboot.org/). The only exception is the use of
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(properly authenticated) CPU-vendor-provided blobs for silicon and memory
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initialization (see [Intel
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FSP](https://firmware.intel.com/learn/fsp/about-intel-fsp)) as well as other
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internal operations (see [Intel ME](https://www.apress.com/9781430265719)).
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However, we specifically require all code used for and dealing with the System
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Management Mode (SMM) to be open-source.
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While we
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[recognize](https://blog.invisiblethings.org/papers/2015/x86_harmful.pdf) the
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potential problems that proprietary CPU-vendor code can cause, we are also
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pragmatic enough to realize that we need to take smaller steps first, before we
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can implement even stronger countermeasures such as a [stateless
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laptop](https://blog.invisiblethings.org/papers/2015/state_harmful.pdf). A
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switch to open source boot firmware is one such important step. To be
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compatible with Qubes OS, the BIOS must properly expose all the VT-x, VT-d, and
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SLAT functionality that the underlying hardware offers (and which we require).
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Among other things, this implies **proper DMAR ACPI table** construction.
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Finally, we require that Qubes-certified hardware does not have any built-in
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_USB-connected_ microphones (e.g. as part of a USB-connected built-in camera)
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that cannot be easily physically disabled by the user, e.g. via a convenient
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mechanical switch. Thankfully, the majority of laptops on the market that we
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have seen already satisfy this condition out-of-the-box, because their built-in
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microphones are typically connected to the internal audio device, which itself
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is a type of PCIe device. This is important, because such PCIe audio devices
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are --- by default --- assigned to Qubes' (trusted) dom0 and exposed through
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our carefully designed protocol only to select app qubes when the user
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explicitly chooses to do so. The rest of the time, they should be outside the
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reach of malware.
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While we also recommend a physical kill switch on the built-in camera (or, if
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possible, not to have a built-in camera), we also recognize this isn't a
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critical requirement, because users who are concerned about it can easily cover
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it a piece of tape (something that, regrettably, is far less effective on a
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microphone).
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Similarly, we don't consider physical kill switches on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
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devices to be mandatory. Users who plan on using Qubes in an air-gap scenario
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would do best if they manually remove all such devices persistently (as well as
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the builtin [speakers](https://github.com/romanz/amodem/)!), rather than rely
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on easy-to-flip-by-mistake switches, while others should benefit from the Qubes
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default sandboxing of all networking devices in dedicated VMs.
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We hope these hardware requirements will encourage the development of more
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secure and trustworthy devices.
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## Hardware Certification Process
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To have hardware certified, the vendor must:
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1. Send the Qubes team two (2) units for testing (non-returnable) for each
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configuration the vendor wishes to be offering.
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2. Offer to customers the very same configuration (same motherboard, same
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screen, same BIOS version, same Wi-Fi module, etc.) for at least one year.
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3. Pay the Qubes team a flat monthly rate, to be agreed upon between the
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hardware vendor and the Qubes team.
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It is the vendor's responsibility to ensure the hardware they wish to have
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certified can run Qubes OS, at the very least the latest stable version. This
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could be done by consulting the [Hardware Compatibility List](/hcl/) or trying
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to install it themselves before shipping any units to us. While we are willing
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to troubleshoot simple issues, we will need to charge a consulting fee for more
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in-depth work.
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If you are interested in having your hardware certified, please [contact
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us](mailto:business@qubes-os.org).
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