Abstract
End-users traditional ownership of devices is progressively being replaced by usage-based approaches. One of the most significant Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) challenges concerns protecting device usage outside of supplier control. In this work, we build on our previous blockchain framework for device management to propose a novel and enhanced pre-OS boot process for device validation in environments requiring both security and transparency. For that, we have customized a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) module to authorise device usage against the blockchain before system boot, preventing authorized manipulation at the earliest stage. Preliminary experiments show this approach is valid and effective. © 2025 IEEE.