Your Web News in One Place

Help Webnuz

Referal links:

Sign up for GreenGeeks web hosting
October 28, 2011 08:33 pm GMT

Linux Foundation, Canonical and Red Hat Weigh In On Secure Boot

linux-foundationThere's been some hubbub lately about Secure Boot, a hardware-verified, malware-free operating system bootstrap process that aims to improve the overall security of computers. Part of the UEFI specification which is slated to replace the aging BIOS with which many of us are familiar, Secure Boot can forbid the loading and execution of unsigned operating systems. Microsoft is requiring that Secure Boot be activated and enforced for any OEM systems that want to use the "Designed for Windows 8" logo. The nature of the technology, and Microsofts recommended implementation of it, could remove control of the overall system from the end user, and in this configuration Secure Boot may prevent Free Software operating systems from loading. After some initial hysteria on Slashdot (where else?), calmer minds have prevailed, and have reviewed the UEFI Secure Boot specification in some detail. It's a pretty marked change from the old BIOS: the use of public key cryptography makes the whole thing considerably more complex. But there's nothing about Secure Boot, prima facie, that specifically locks out Free Software operating systems.

Original Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/lCjzlsYaoy4/

Share this article:    Share on Facebook
View Full Article

Techcrunch

TechCrunch is a leading technology blog, dedicated to obsessively profiling startups, reviewing new Internet products, and breaking tech news.

More About this Source Visit Techcrunch