Hundreds of users have reported receiving emails from Kobo about a mandatory firmware update that needs to be downloaded and installed by May 25th, 2023. This is a legit email sent from Rakuten Kobo, so it is authentic. Kobo has stated that in order to continue to access the bookstore to buy ebooks, manga, graphic novels and other digital content, the update must be installed.

The email states “We are releasing a critical update to stay aligned with global security standards. Without this update, your e-reader will no longer exit the setup process during a factory reset” The affected Kobo models are Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura Edition 2, Kobo H20, Kobo H20 edition 2, Kobo Aura One, Kobo Clara HD, Kobo Forma, Kobo Glo, Kobo Glo HD and Kobo Touch.

I believe that Kobo is upgrading TLS or an SSL security certificate. They are likely just updating older devices, that are not using secure ciphers to talk to the Kobo services to buy digital content or access the Kobo Cloud. E-Reader companies do this all of the time, a couple of years ago, Amazon did the same thing with all of their older e-readers.

There is nothing sinister about this email. It is strictly a security update, it will not affect the core functionality of the Kobo experience. Everything that you did on your device prior to and after the mandatory update, will not change.

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