August 21st, 2024

Microsoft's latest security update has ruined dual-boot

Microsoft's security update has disrupted dual-boot systems with Windows and Linux, causing boot issues and error messages. A workaround for Ubuntu users involves disabling Secure Boot in the BIOS.

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Microsoft's latest security update has ruined dual-boot

Microsoft's recent security update has inadvertently disrupted dual-boot systems running both Windows and Linux. The update, intended to address a two-year-old vulnerability in the GRUB boot loader, has led to booting issues for many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint. Users are encountering error messages indicating "security policy violation" and "something has gone seriously wrong." Although Microsoft claimed that the update would not affect dual-boot configurations, reports from various forums suggest otherwise. The update was designed to enhance Secure Boot, a feature that prevents malicious firmware from loading during the boot process. Despite the problems caused by the update, Microsoft has not yet issued a public response. A temporary workaround for affected Ubuntu users involves disabling Secure Boot in the BIOS and removing Microsoft's SBAT policy through the terminal. This incident highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in Secure Boot technology, which has been a critical security measure for Windows, especially since its requirement for Windows 11.

- Microsoft's security update has disrupted dual-boot Windows and Linux systems.

- Users are experiencing boot issues and error messages after the update.

- The update was meant to fix a vulnerability in the GRUB boot loader.

- A workaround exists for Ubuntu users to mitigate the issue.

- The incident raises concerns about the reliability of Secure Boot technology.

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By @sovok_x - 5 months
The thing is it was pretty obvious from the update description that something like this will happen. But the update in question is cumulative so even among advanced users that know how to restrict autoupdates many were forced to install it to prevent even more scary exploits for which there are no separate patches.

And now people need to disable Secure Boot entirely to avoid the side effects. Way to improve worldwide security, MSFT.