Microsoft’s recent security update has caused significant disruptions for users of dual-boot Windows and Linux systems. The software giant’s latest patch, aimed at addressing a two-year-old vulnerability in the GRUB open-source boot loader, has inadvertently affected many dual-boot configurations, preventing Linux installations from booting correctly.
According to Ars Technica, affected users have reported encountering “security policy violation” messages and “something has gone seriously wrong” errors. The issue has been widely discussed on platforms such as Reddit, Ubuntu forums, and other tech communities. Various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, and Puppy Linux, have been impacted by the patch.
The update was intended to address a security flaw that allowed hackers to bypass Secure Boot—a technology employed by both Windows and Linux distributions to prevent malicious firmware from loading during system boot. Microsoft had announced earlier this month that it would implement a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update to block vulnerable Linux boot loaders that could compromise Windows security. The company assured users that this update would not affect dual-boot systems with both Windows and Linux.
Despite these assurances, many users are now experiencing problems. Microsoft has yet to comment on the situation. However, a workaround has been suggested for Ubuntu users: disabling Secure Boot at the BIOS level and then deleting Microsoft’s SBAT policy through a terminal command.
Secure Boot has been a critical component of Windows security for years and is a mandatory requirement for Windows 11, designed to protect against BIOS rootkits. Despite its importance, vulnerabilities in Secure Boot have been exposed over time, with recent findings indicating that the technology is compromised on numerous PCs.
Related topics:
Ai Vs RPA: What Is the Difference Between Them?
What Are Some Robust Modeling Techniques to Handle Noisy Data?