Quote from: Carlton Banks on April 09, 2016, 09:50:27 AM

Quote from: klondike_bar on April 08, 2016, 06:31:00 PM

is there any REAL reason to update the firmware, or is it recommended to leave it be and avoid the risks and complications of backing-up/offloading the coins, formatting, then moving everything back on again?

It depends on what the changes in the firmware are.

If anything in the changelog is related to security issues, especially something described as "urgent" or "severe", update update update. Anything about adding a new altcoin, or fixing a bug you've never experienced, you will be OK.

I guess you're living proof that missing security updates isn't guaranteed to compromise your device. But to me, hardware wallets are about ultimate protection of BTC accounts, knowing that attackers are now aware of flaws in the firmware I'm running would cause me concern.

My recommendation for securely updating the firmware: use an offline PC for the update.

Download firmware from as secure machine as possible
Burn the firmware to CD-ROM (yes, CD-ROM)
Take a hash of the files burnt onto the CD-ROM (or take an image file of the whole CD and do the same)
Ensure that CD/USB autoplay etc is disabled on OFF-line machine
Take a hash of the files/CD image on the OFF-line machine
Compare to the hash you took using the ON-line machine (the file/s you supply to the hash command must be the same comparison)
If the hashes match, proceed with the firmware flashing on the offline machine using your newly hash-checked update file/s.
If the hashes do not match, find a new online machine and try again

I would take similar levels of precaution when installing the OS to the offline machine in the first place, otherwise you might end up with a trojaned/backdoored OS on the offline machine, and the the whole rigmarole may be a total waste of time (particularly if you did compromise your funds somehow due to the oversight)

Carlton, out of curiosity. which platform do you view as more secure today; Armory or Trezor?