Tuesday, October 25th 2011
Controversial Windows 8 Secure Boot Feature: FSF Issues Rallying Cry
The controversial new Secure Boot feature in Windows 8 has been covered here before, but now the Free Software Foundation have issued a public statement warning about likely restrictive implementation to lock out competition, pretty similar to the arguments currently being levelled against it. They are also giving people a voice to protest against this, in the form of a petition. They say quite fairly, that it can be used for good, if the option to use it is completely with the owner of the computer. However, it isn't much of a stretch to see that the option to disable it is likely to simply be removed from the user, thus locking out the competition, mainly Linux: This could be a feature deserving of the name, as long as the user is able to authorize the programs she wants to use, so she can run free software written and modified by herself or people she trusts. However, we are concerned that Microsoft and hardware manufacturers will implement these boot restrictions in a way that will prevent users from booting anything other than Windows. In this case, we are better off calling the technology Restricted Boot, since such a requirement would be a disastrous restriction on computer users and not a security feature at all. Click here to see the full public statement and sign the petition and here for a more detailed explanation of the issue by the FSF.
49 Comments on Controversial Windows 8 Secure Boot Feature: FSF Issues Rallying Cry
like titanic that said unsinkable but history prove it
just lets see...
This won't be able to stop people installing linux at all I'm so confussed :S
Let's say that you are happily running (legit) Windows and some malware (ie. rootkit) infects your bootloader.
It would seem that from that point on, your system will no longer boot at all, and force a complete wipe and reload of the OS. While that is probably what you would do in the event of a bootloader compromise, it's really going to put non-technical people in a panic situation.
I like the idea in concept, but the execution leaves quite a few questions unanswered (at least for now).
I just wonder how many people will just shut off the option, hand the computer back and say "fixed" even though the bootloader is still compromised.
I just can't help but feel that there is a better way to do this.
keep up the good work and don't give a s..it about critics;those who criticize you read what you post so they're readers even they want or not.
only good work is criticized bad is almost never mentioned
I guess this won't matter much as an alternative crack would eventually be made if this "feature" (as Microsoft might like to call it) were to be implemented into all motherboards as piracy is always inevitable when a product is released regardless of any anti-piracy methods that may have been put in. :nutkick:
I think it would be safe to say that when the "Secure-Boot" is bypassed it would only become an unnecessary "feature" that motherboard manufacturers would eventually get rid off, but let's hope that it would fail before it can be used so it won't interfere with the hardware and software that has yet to be released.
95/98/98SE/ME/NT/2000/XP/XP MCE/XP 64/vista/7 ?
I've never encountered a malicious boot anyway unless UEFI is extremely vulnerable to such things. I haven't used a UEFI system yet.