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The Linux Foundation's UEFI Secure Boot Pre-Bootloader Delayed

Posted by Soulskill on from the threatening-to-become-post-bootloader dept.

hypnosec writes "The Linux Foundation's plans for releasing a signed pre-bootloader that will enable users to install Linux alongside Windows 8 systems with UEFI have been reportedly delayed. The Foundation proposed a signed pre-bootloader that will chain-load a bootloader which, in turn, will boot the desired operating system, thus keeping Linux installations for novice users as simple as it was before. Further, this particular component is meant for small-time Linux distros which otherwise wouldn't have the required expertise or resources to develop their own system to tackle the secure boot issue. This was going as per plans up until Linux kernel maintainer James Bottomley disclosed that he has been having rather bizarre experiences with Microsoft sysdev centre. Bottomley said, 'The first time I sent the loader through, it got stuck (it still is, actually). So I sent another one through after a week or so. That actually produced a download, which I've verified is signed (by the MS UEFI key) and works, but now the Microsoft sysdev people claim it was "improperly" signed and we have to wait for them to sort it out. I've pulled the binary apart, and I think the problem is that it's not signed with a LF [Linux Foundation] specific key, it's signed by a generic one rooted in the UEFI key. I'm not sure how long it will take MS to get their act together but I'm hoping its only a few days." Update: 11/21 14:22 GMT by U L : See the Original weblog post, and one interesting tidbit: Microsoft banned bootloaders licensed under the GPLv3 and "similar open source licenses."

5 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. Somebody should sue Microsoft anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At least in Europe they'd succeed.

  2. Let me get this straight by DMiax · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, instead of signing with a scrap key that vendors will ignore they signed essentially with the original one, so that this bootloader will work on any PC that follows the standard? This is so awesome I don't even know at what to laugh first.

    I wish LF just released this bootloader and defuse all this "secure boot" crap. Of course they will play nice and allow Microsoft to save their face... Microsoft incompetence is just appalling. They will probably end up signing malware by accident at some point, but at least you won't be able to run Linux on your PC, so mission accomplished.

  3. Wtf? by ickleberry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We have to ask Microsoft for permission now before they give us a key that lets us install Linux on our own machines?

    This is seriously not good, lads. They still have the monopoly so we should sue them till the last toothpick in their Redmond HQ are belong to us.

    1. Re:Wtf? by turkeyfeathers · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or just disable secure boot, which is amazingly easy to do in the first place.

      For now.

  4. Re:Not surprised at all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Secure Boot closes off one nowadays almost completely irrelevant vector for malware, not all of them.

    FTFY.