Bonum Certa Men Certa

The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Sep 01, 2025

Clock shows 11 minutes to 11

Clock shows 11 minutes to 11

A simple time bomb: Fake Security, Microsoft, UEFI, 9/11 vs Your O/S

More Microsoft layoffs are expected this month (it doesn't seem to be fabricated; these are leaks; there's no actual rebuttal/refutation yet), but on the second week of this month we also expect many GNU/Linux PCs to refuse to boot, instead moaning about an expired Microsoft certificate. The Microsofters who did this don't deny this will cause problems. And since they pushed 'secure boot' (in UEFI) into Linux, we can hold them accountable verbally if not legally. For well over a decade they abused the people who merely pointed out what would happen; they libeled and trolled, even stalked and likely engaged in cybercrimes, against them and their families. Indeed, deeply irritated that someone talks about these issues, factually and politely (and vindicated more and more over time), they got more aggressive, siccing Microsoft ogres and misogynists [1, 2] at us (us as in my family members as well! [1, 2]). The GNU/Linux community should be deeply disgusted by this.

In Part I we introduced the issues in simple terms, in Part II we focused on the attacks on people who merely talked about these issues, and Part III primarily tied things together. Last month we also published: "The UEFI Restricted Boot 'Time Bomb' is About to Go Off in a Few Weeks"

Now that IBM is in control of GNOME we can examine the forces at play; "ideally Canonical would step in and intervene," an associate said, but instead it followed whatever Red Hat did on this (in 2012) and we know that IBM/GNOME actively pushed for this fiasco as recently as 2022. "Microsoft is inside IBM these days," one reader told us yesterday. The old guard who learned their lessons and experiments the OS/2 copyright rug pull are all gone. Now Bill's sycophants are in charge and selling out IBM from the inside..."

A day earlier he asked: "Is IBM still part of Microsoft's Business Software Alliance (BSA)?

15 years ago we got a scoop on this from inside Red Hat; IBM had quietly left BSA and we were first to report this. "Did they leave only on paper though?" asked the reader. "They act as if they are still marketing Microsoft all the time."

Indeed, Red Hat - now part IBM - was the main force (other than Microsoft and Intel) pushing for 'secure' ('Time Bomb') boot in 2012. They pressured Linus Torvalds over this like a pack of hyenas [1, 2] (thankfully the mailing lists document all this). There were external pressures, including so-called 'cancel culture' (weaponised against Torvalds at the time).

Those were hostile forces.

We recognise some people will see the title "UEFI 9/11" and start thinking along the lines of politics or cranks. But, no... we didn't choose that date. "Currently," LWN reports, "shim is signed with a Microsoft key from 2011 that expires on September 11."

Do not overlook the irony of the date; it's almost like it is intentional (scheduled for "Thursday" - another irony, a "Linux 9/11"... but it impacts other operating systems as well, so we don't say "Linux 9/11").

The 1973 Chilean coup d'état happened that day/date. Maybe add to this page a key/certificate expiring. If they had planned this for years (14 years), very well knowing in advance the expiry date (it's not happening out of the blue; they set the date), then calling it a "time bomb" seems appropriate. It was all along slated for 9/11 this year - overlapping the Pinochet coup [1, 2] as if to make a statement about external interference. To be clear, Declassified UK has documents which expose the UK’s involvement in Pinochet’s 1973 coup, so the external 'satellite-like' role resembles Microsoft and IBM.

As for Canonical, it's nowadays working for GAFAM and is connected to the British military [1, 2]. They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users.

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

Confirmed in French Media: Mass Layoffs (10% Culled) in Microsoft France
Now some reports in French
Microsoft in Freefall in Finland
Can Finland eradicate Windows from all its infrastructure, including core operations that are sensitive to sabotage by cracking?
Google's Chrome Passes 70% and Web Standards Are Dying
The Web is quickly becoming devoid of any standards
Slopwatch: Plagiarism and Ponzi Scheme, Bubble About to Burst Entirely, Admits Goldman Sachs
the hype that Google News and The Register MS actively participate and profit from
The Register MS Says "AI Web Crawlers Are Destroying Websites", So Why Does The Register MS Help 'AI' Companies? (Spoiler: Money)
People need to call out The Register MS on its hypocrisy
Slopfarms Already Peaked, They Will Die When Slop Companies Run Out of Money to Borrow
slopfarms will lack an actual "engine"
Why We Publish Information About the SLAPPs (But Not About the Legal Process), an Abuse of Process by Americans Trying to Silence Critics of Their Employer, Microsoft
It doesn't take thousands of pages to explain something simple
 
Links 02/09/2025: Oligarch Tech and Text Encoding Concerns in Ada
Links for the day
"Internal Changes at Red Hat / IBM"
It seems like quite a few people are leaving
"People on LinkedIn Saying That They've Left Red Hat."
We already saw signs of it a month ago and named some of the people
Gone With the BRICs (or BRICS): "Linux 8" in Cuba
GAFAM must be worried
Telecompaper Reports Microsoft to Reduce the Workforce by Another 10% (in France)
Imagine what this will do to staff's morale
India is Back to Windows 8 (Market Share Down to 8%) as Android Soars to a New Record High
For Microsoft, India is a runaway market
Links 02/09/2025: SCO Summit and Russia Suspected Of Jamming GPS
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: Mediterranean Marriage and Staying Connected at 35,000 Feet
Links for the day
Links 02/09/2025: Attacks on Unions, Microsoft TCO, and DDoSing a Growing Problem
Links for the day
Internet Relay Chat Didn't Fall Off a Cliff
IRC will turn 40 in less than 3 years from now
The UEFI 9/11 - Part V - This is Not a Drill (Disable "SecureBoot" Now)
A "9/11" Coming
There's No Obligation to Speak to Anybody
The very fact that "bkuhn" is till spending time in social control media says a lot about his poor judgment
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 01, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 01, 2025
Microsoft Trying to Force People to Resign (Amid Mass Layoffs) a Strategy That Takes Its Toll
Microsoft seems to be circling down the drain and the "final flush" will be the moment the "hey hi" (AI) bubble implodes completely
Google Simply Cannot Be Trusted
Only fools would trust GAFAM
Admission That a Third Party (or Parties) Funds the SLAPPs Against Techrights
This can end up costing them over a million dollars
Modifying and Writing One's Own Computer Programs is Not a Crime (or: Google Proves That Stallman Was Right)
We're generally gratified to see so many positive mentions of him
Why We Stopped Publishing Videos (for Now)
We'll probably get back to videos one day, but it's hard to say when or to what extent
What Animal Rights Activism Teaches Us About Sympathy and Focus
It's possible to believe that the planet is warming, that we must do something about it, and still eat eggs and butter
When You Turn Web Sites About Tech Into Political Sites
A lot of people fall into the trap of catering only for particular groups
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH 2025 and Lagrange 1.19 Released
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: News Corp. WSJ and A Month With NixOS
Links for the day
“Sideloading” Never Killed Anybody
There are many online discussions this week about the misnomer "sideloading"
Slopwatch: Google News as FUD Vector Against Linux and Plagiarism Enhancer, Serial Slopper (SS) Uses LLMs to Googlebomb "Linux"
Slop destroys the Web not just by screwing with search engines and helping plagiarists. It's also responsible for de facto DDoS attacks...
Links 01/09/2025: "Attacks on Science" and China's "Soft Power" Grows
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago