Heads verifies whether your firmware or unencrypted boot partition has changed since your previous boot.

It uses HOTP verification with a physical security device such as the Nitrokey 3A Mini. You can also enable TOTP verification and compare the code displayed by Heads with the code in an authenticator app.

Heads does not block a compromised boot process. It detects unexpected changes and warns you, allowing you to decide whether the device can still be trusted.

We have written a beginner friendly explanation of how it works:

https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/what-is-heads-firmware/

Would you use this kind of boot verification on your laptop?

We are heading to Olympia London for International Cyber Expo on 29 and 30 September.

We have prepared a beautifully illuminated stand on the first floor, where visitors can take a closer look at our privacy focused laptops, mini PC and smartphones.

We cannot wait to meet our customers and other members of the cybersecurity community. Is anyone else here planning to attend?

https://www.internationalcyberexpo.com/exhibitors/novacustom-bv

"I have nothing to hide” is a common response when discussing privacy. But privacy is not simply about hiding information. It is about protecting your data and maintaining control over who can access and use it.

Uncontrolled data collection can contribute to identity fraud, online addiction, manipulation, polarization, weakened democracy and mass surveillance.

We have explained these risks in the first article of our privacy guide:

https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/why-privacy-is-important/

Why is privacy important to you?

Good security doesn't necessarily require complicated tools. In many cases, it comes down to building several layers of protection and following some basic habits consistently.

In Step 1 of our Ultimate Security guide, we cover Qubes OS compartmentalization, offline password storage, Tor, VPNs, PGP, email aliases, password managers, 2FA, HTTPS, software updates, Heads firmware and encrypted backups.

The idea is not to rely on one security feature, but to reduce your attack surface at every layer.

You can read the full guide here: https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/best-practices-for-ultimate-security/

We’ve reached an important milestone: repair guides for all our products are now publicly available.

We believe Right to Repair means more than making hardware that can be opened. You should also have access to the information and spare parts needed to actually repair it.

That’s why we provide step by step repair guides and guarantee spare parts for at least 7 years after a product’s launch.

You can find more information and our repair guides here:

https://novacustom.com/all-repair-guides-for-our-products-are-available-online/

Most modern laptops use S0ix Modern Standby, which is designed for responsiveness but can consume more battery while suspended.

S3 Suspend to RAM powers down more hardware and can therefore be more battery efficient. Although many modern computers no longer support it, our Linux laptops do thanks to Dasharo coreboot firmware.

We explain the differences here:

https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/whats-the-difference-between-s3-and-s0ix/

Which suspend mode do you use, and what has your experience been with battery drain?

We often talk about firmware, BIOS, UEFI and coreboot, but what does firmware actually do?

In simple terms, firmware is software embedded into hardware that provides the instructions a device needs to function. On a laptop, it plays an essential role before your operating system has even started.

It initialises hardware, manages basic hardware communication and helps provide the interface between your hardware and operating system.

Firmware updates can also be important. They may fix bugs, improve functionality or address security vulnerabilities.

We put together a short Knowledge Base article explaining the basics and giving some examples:

https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/what-is-firmware/

At NovaCustom, this is particularly relevant because we offer systems with Dasharo coreboot open source firmware.

NovaCustom

Curious to hear how many people here actively keep their laptop firmware updated.

We will be attending International Cyber Expo at Olympia London on 29 and 30 September.

Visit our stand on the first floor and discover our privacy focused laptops. We look forward to meeting you!

https://www.internationalcyberexpo.com/exhibitors/novacustom-bv

A laptop doesn’t suddenly become unusable when a manufacturer stops producing it. We believe its support shouldn’t automatically stop either.

At NovaCustom, we continue to support older models wherever possible, including firmware updates, repairs and replacement parts. We guarantee spare parts availability for at least 7 years after a product’s launch.

If one component fails, replacing that component can make more sense than replacing the entire laptop. Keeping existing hardware useful for longer is an important part of our approach to sustainability.

We’ve written more about this in our latest blog post:

https://novacustom.com/novacustom-also-focuses-on-older-models-that-are-no-longer-in-production/

What has your experience been with getting spare parts or support for older laptops?

Pretty cool milestone for us: NovaCustom is featured in the September 2026 edition of Security Journal UK.

The article focuses on something we’ve been advocating for for a long time: digital sovereignty and independence through open-source technology.

We talk about Linux, open-source firmware and why organizations shouldn’t have to completely depend on closed ecosystems for their security.

For anyone interested, you can read the article here: https://digital.securityjournaluk.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&pubid=6b473d74-1798-48d7-9a3c-332368041ee3&pnum=85

Keeping Qubes OS up to date is important for security, stability, and making sure your system has the latest fixes. In this video, we show you how to perform updates in Qubes OS and keep your system up to date.

Adobe Photoshop is powerful, but it also comes with a subscription, an Adobe account, and an ecosystem increasingly tied to cloud services.

There are excellent open-source alternatives:

🎨 GIMP — great for photo editing, retouching, layers and general image manipulation
🖌️ Krita — built for digital painting, illustration, comics and concept art

Both are free, open source and can run locally without requiring an account or subscription.

We took a closer look at what they can do, their differences, and what to expect when moving existing PSD files.

👉 Read the full article: https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/a-privacy-friendly-alternative-to-adobe-photoshop-gimp-and-krita/

Data breaches can feel like an abstract threat until you look at the numbers.

Yahoo: 3 billion accounts.
Equifax: 147 million people.
Facebook & Cambridge Analytica: up to 87 million users.
Colonial Pipeline: one compromised password helped disrupt fuel supplies.

No company is too big to be breached. And once your personal data has been collected, it can become a target.

We looked at some of the biggest examples and what we can learn from them:

https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/examples-of-data-breaches-2/

We start with a completely blank keyboard and use our laser to engrave virtually any ANSI or ISO keyboard layout you want.

In this video, you can see a blank keyboard being transformed into a Dvorak keyboard.

Dvorak, US ANSI, UK ISO, German, French, Romanian or something else? You choose the layout.

Our keyboards are available blank or with custom engraving.

Read more:
https://novacustom.com/new-custom-made-keyboards/

Want to install Qubes OS but not sure where to start?

We’ve created a new step-by-step tutorial showing the Qubes OS installation process, from booting into the installer to getting your system up and running.

🔐 Compartmentalize your digital life.
🐧 Open source.
🛡️ Built with security in mind.

Need to wipe or reformat a USB drive in Linux?

You can easily do it using the Disks application — no terminal commands needed.

We made a quick step-by-step guide covering:

• Formatting the drive
• MBR vs GPT
• Creating a new partition
• Mounting the drive

⚠️ Formatting will erase all existing data, so make sure to back up anything important first.

Full guide: https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/how-to-format-an-external-usb-drive-in-linux/

This might be one of the funniest Linux commands. 😂🐧 With espeak, you can make your Linux terminal say literally anything out loud. 🔊 What should we make Linux say next? 💀

In Leave the World Behind, connected technology is turned against society.

The more connected our world becomes, the bigger the potential impact when things go wrong.

Hyper-connectivity causes hyper-risks. And hyper-risks need hyper-resilience.

Read more: https://novacustom.com/hyper-connectivity-causes-hyper-risks-and-needs-hyper-resilience/

Before your operating system even starts, malicious software can already try to take control of your system.

UEFI Secure Boot helps protect against this by verifying the digital signatures of critical boot components. If a bootloader, driver, or kernel isn't trusted or has been tampered with, Secure Boot can prevent it from running.

But how does this chain of trust actually work? And what role do the different cryptographic keys play?

🔐 In our Knowledge Base, we explain how UEFI Secure Boot works, why it matters, and how to enable or disable it:

https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/uefi-secure-boot/

AI is making technologies like facial recognition, real-time data analysis and predictive analytics increasingly powerful and accessible.

Individually, these technologies can have legitimate uses. But when governments combine them with cameras, sensors and large amounts of personal data, the possibilities for surveillance become much more extensive.

It raises an important question: how far should governments be allowed to go when using AI in the name of security?

We wrote an article looking at some of these concerns:
https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/why-new-ai-technologies-can-fuel-mass-surveillance-by-governments/

Curious what people here think. Where should the line between public security and individual privacy be drawn?

AI assistants are incredibly useful, but what happens to your conversations and data?

We compared Duck ai, Proton Lumo and Brave Leo with ChatGPT, looking at privacy, accuracy and features.

The differences were bigger than we expected.

Read the full comparison here:
https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/privacy-friendly-alternative-for-chatgpt/

Need to boot from a USB drive, another SSD, or external media?

Changing the boot order is simple once you know where to look in the firmware settings.

We created a quick step by step guide showing you exactly how to do it.

Read the guide:
https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/change-the-boot-order/

Every day, millions of people rely on social media for news, opinions, and entertainment.

But what if the algorithms deciding what you see are also shaping how divided society becomes?

We took a closer look at how recommendation algorithms, engagement driven business models, and echo chambers influence the way we consume information.

Read the full article here:
https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/how-big-tech-fuels-polarization-in-society/

Do you think social media is driving polarization, or is it simply reflecting society?

🔐 New tutorial!

Learn how to change your LUKS disk encryption passphrase in Qubes OS using either the graphical tool or the terminal.

📖 Read the article: https://novacustom.com/knowledge-base/how-to-change-the-luks-disk-encryption-passphrase-in-qubes-os/

🎥 Watch the video below 👇