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Microsoft 'Patch' Blocks Linux Installs On Locked-Down Windows RT Computers (fossbytes.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the scratching-the-Surface dept.

An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes a report from fossBytes: Microsoft has released a security update that has patched a backdoor in Windows RT operating system [that] allowed users to install non-Redmond approved operating systems like Linux and Android on Windows RT tablets. This vulnerability in ARM-powered, locked-down Windows devices was left by Redmond programmers during the development process. Exploiting this flaw, one was able to boot operating systems of his/her choice, including Android or GNU/Linux.
The Register points out that since Windows RT is "a dead-end operating system" which Microsoft has announced they'll stop developing, "mainstream support for Surface RT tablets runs out in 2017 and Windows RT 8.1 in 2018. This is why a means to bypass its boot mechanisms is highly sought."

6 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. That's funny ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... today I applied a patch to my credit card that blocks buying any locked down hardware from Microsoft. What a coincidence!

  2. Yes... by SeattleLawGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    An exploit was being used for the install. They patched the exploit. If this is annoying to you, don't buy a system that you need to crack in order to install your chosen O/S.

    --
    Real lawyers write in C++
    1. Re:Yes... by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yes, but why bother to patch such an exploit in an OS that you've already killed off yourself? Why not open up the market to let people take advantage of the hardware rather than let it end up in the Landfill? The answer of course is, "because they're Microsoft, duh?", but what value did this add?

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  3. It's just Microsoft being Microsoft by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's just Microsoft being Microsoft, doing a typical dick move for no genuinely good reason.

    "Oh dear, someone might be able to do something cool or useful with a product we're killing off? Fuck them."

    Microsoft just can't help being dicks about stuff, no matter what it is.

    Imagine the goodwill they could generate by just not being dicks at every goddamn opportunity, but nooooooo, we can't have that.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  4. Re:This is like blocking software from rooting pho by gweihir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is bullshit which has long since been discredited. In the real world, the only thing a locked-down boot-loader like this accomplishes is to restrict what the user can do, it does not protect against malware as there are numerous other vectors.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  5. Re:Confused by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Your entire starting point is wrong.

    "Secure boot" isn't about security at all, it's an anti-competitive measure. Saying that this exploit is a security hole is like saying that any computer that doesn't run a locked down Windows installation or old enough to not have this "feature" is "insecure".