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UEFI

Secure Boot, UEFI 'security', or "Restricted Boot" as the FSF calls it (for the goal is not really security but control and domination by a remote/distant vendor), is a great threat to computing freedom. It was primarily promoted by Matthew J Garrett and covered in the following posts over the years.

2023

  • With UEFI, TPM, Pluton Etc. Microsoft and Intel/AMD Trashed an Entire Generation of Computers, Made Security a Lot Worse in Order to Curtail GNU/Linux and BSD Adoption
  • System76 Gives 'Secure' Boot the Boot
  • How Secure Boot Could Have Ruined My First Linux Experience And Why IBM Is Making Things Worse.
  • The Need to Get Rid of 'Secure' (Restricted) Boot Once and for All; It Should Never Have Been Permitted in the First Place and It's Not Secure
  • Why UEFI is an Attack on Security and on Computing in General
  • The Argument for UEFI Restricted Boot is Dead
  • UEFI 'Security' is Totally Hopeless, Even a Paradox


    • 2022

  • No Protection for Linux Offered by the So-called 'Linux' Foundation
  • Meme: Only Fools and Horses Work for Microsoft Without a Salary
  • Software Freedom is Not a Disaster and Those Who Oppose B.Y.O.D. Are a Monarch's Dream
  • One Can Speculate Why Windows-Friendly OEMs Start Enforcing Windows-Only Boot on Laptops (Microsoft Blocking BSD and GNU/Linux With UEFI)
  • UEFI Firmware Vulnerable to Malware Implants; Worse Than “Legacy BIOS” Ever Was
  • Microsoft is Trying to Hire (Read: Pay Salaries to) Matthew Garrett
  • GNOME (IBM/Red Hat Staff) Promoting Microsoft's 'Security' Scam With the 'Secure' Boot Sham
  • Microsoft Windows in Chinese Desktops/Laptops Down to 80% (Hence Microsoft Started Blocking GNU/Linux From Even Booting, as China's Lenovo Demonstrates)
  • Windows Has Had a Very Tough Year (That's Why Microsoft Starts to Block GNU/Linux With 'Secure' Boot)
  • Antitrust Action Against Microsoft is Well Overdue
  • Microsoft's Crimes Against the Competition, Notably BSD and GNU/Linux, Persist Albeit Disguised as 'Security' (UEFI 'Secure' Boot, TPM, Pluton...)
  • Legacy of UEFI 'Secure' Boot: BSD and GNU/Linux Users Now Have to 'Jailbreak' Their PCs (Desktops/Laptops, Just like Apple iPhones)
  • The Three Microsoft Stooges
  • Pluton Proponents Working for Plutocracy (and Pentagon Agenda)


    • 2021

  • “Wintel” “Secure” uEFI Firmware Used to Store Persistent Malware, and Security Theater Boot is Worthless
  • Matthew Garrett’s Twitter Log Shows Exactly Why We Need to Give Security Theater the Boot
  • Lenovo Ships ThinkBook 15 Gen2 ITL Series Full of UEFI BIOS ACPI Bugs, Releases Half a Dozen BIOS Updates, and Doesn’t Fix the Bugs
  • Microsoft Secure Boot and Intel VMD Pointless on GNU/Linux and Lenovo’s Documentation Recommends That You Turn Them Off
  • Stallman Was Right About ‘Secure’ Boot (Matthew Garrett’s Work Now Used to Prevent Users Adopting New Ubuntu Releases/Derivatives)


    • 2020

  • Karma or Hubris? Is #TorvaldsWasRight a Thing Now?
  • UEFI 'Secure Boot' is Just a Security Mess, as Techrights Predicted All Along, and FSF Should Not Have Given That Award


    • 2016

  • UEFI is Bricking PCs, Yet Again


    • 2015

  • Governments-Connected ‘Hacking Team’ Targets UEFI, Reveal Leaks
  • Yet Another Major Security Deficiency in UEFI
  • Another Reason to Boycott UEFI: Back Doors or Crackers
  • Microsoft Hates Linux – Part I – The UEFI Attack on GNU/Linux
  • Intel Continues to Attack Software Freedom Through UEFI
  • Another Reason to Boycott UEFI and Proprietary Software From Microsoft: Insecurity


    • 2014

    November

  • The Terrible Joke Which is Microsoft ‘Loving’ Linux: Nightmares With UEFI ‘Secure’ Boot (i.e. Windows Monopoly Imposed) Continue to Affect GNU/Linux Users


    • September

  • Another Reason to Boycott Intel UEFI


    • June

  • ‘Active Management Technology’ is Quite Likely a Back Door, Along With Intel’s UEFI


    • May

  • Microsoft Still Imposes Broken ‘Updates’ and Breaks GNU/Linux Through UEFI Boot Restrictions


    • April

  • Aiding Microsoft Under the Disguise of 'Pro-FOSS'
  • Replicating the Destruction of Dual Boot (GNU/Linux) by Microsoft-Friendly UEFI Implementations
  • UEFI is Bricking Computers When One Removes Spyware With Back Doors (Microsoft Windows)


    • March

  • Microsoft’s Sabotage With UEFI ‘Secure’ Boot Continues, Time for Major Legal Actions From GNU/Linux Users and Vendors
  • My Disagreement With the FSF Over UEFI ‘Secure Boot’
  • Man With Plenty of UEFI Experience Struggles to Disable Restricted Boot to Install and Run GNU/Linux


    • February

  • Many Are Moving to GNU/Linux, So Microsoft is Trying to Make it Technically Hard
  • UEFI Booster Intel Could Not Even Bother Making GNU/Linux Bootable on NUC
  • Installing GNU/Linux is Still Hard Due to UEFI


    • January

  • Journalists Report Issues With UEFI, Cannot Install GNU/Linux
  • When Microsoft Deletes Windows and GNU/Linux
  • As GNU and Linux Become Dominant Platforms They Need Not Follow Microsoft With UEFI


    • 2013

    December

  • Urge Hardware Companies to Stop Using UEFI (or Boycott Them), Don't Work on UEFI
  • Microsoft Booster at the Microsoft-Leaning Ars Technica: UEFI Restricted Boot is Good
  • NSA Confirms Remote Computer Bricking by BIOS (or UEFI) as a Real Strategy
  • ‘Secure’ Boot is Not Secure, Time to Abandon It


    • November

  • The UEFI Forum (Intel et al.) is Polluting Linux in the Same Way Corporations Polluted W3C/WWW With DRM
  • How to Overcome Microsoft UEFI ‘Secure’ Boot Lock-in: Chuck the Physical Hard-Drive


    • October

  • Windows Vista 8.1, or Windows ‘Brick Edition’, Shows That UEFI is Malicious, Opposite of ‘Secure’


    • September

  • Battling Microsoft’s Abusive Hardware-Software Bundling by Showing That GNU/Linux is Better Than Windows


    • August

  • Vista 8 to be Released Again, UEFI Still Included
  • How EFI/UEFI is Harming Digital Freedom and Technology Rights Like Privacy and Anonymity
  • UEFI a Complication That Almost Nobody Needs


    • July

  • Boycott UEFI
  • Microsoft Linux (SUSE) is Pushing Microsoft-controlled Restricted Boot, Advancing It on Servers Too
  • UEFI is a Patent Trap
  • Ingesting Microsoft Traps: FAT and Restricted Boot


    • June

  • If You Use Microsoft Windows, the NSA Can Brick Your Computer Hardware Remotely
  • ~$10,000 Per Windows Desktop Per Year in the British Government, and Microsoft Wants to Deny Us Choice
  • UEFI 'Secure' Boot is Not About Security, Insyde Software's Business Model is Misguided and Dangerous


    • May

  • Another Reason to Avoid Hardware With UEFI
  • Techrights Advises UEFI Forum to Withdraw ‘Secure’ Boot Support
  • UEFI Restricted Boot Good for Microsoft Agenda, Not for Security
  • Prominent GNU/Linux/KDE Developer Jonathan Riddell Complains About UEFI Restricted Boot, Calling it “a giant Microsoft conspiracy to make installing Linux more faffy than it already is.”
  • Debian Should Consider Adding Weight to Antitrust Complaint Over Microsoft’s Restricted Boot Tactics, Wheezy Cannot Boot on New Hardware
  • Despite Vista 8 Failing in the Market, GNU/Linux Slow to Capitalise Due in Part to Microsoft’s UEFI Tricks


    • April

  • Microsoft’s UEFI Restricted Boot Delays GNU/Linux Releases, Causes Many Issues for Windows ‘Refugees’
  • UEFI Restricted Boot No Longer Valid for Security, Keys Leaked


    • March

  • UEFI Continues to be a Headache for GNU/Linux Users
  • Awareness of UEFI Restricted Boot Injustice Raised
  • European Commission Finally Receives Complaint About Microsoft’s UEFI Restricted Boot Scheme
  • Why Samsung Hardware With UEFI Boot Gets Bricked by Linux
  • UEFI War on Linux: Not as Simple as Disabling Restricted (‘Secure’) Boot
  • Microsoft Control Over Users
  • Microsoft Tax Goes Deeper Into Hardware While Microsoft Pays No Tax
  • FreeBSD Makes UEFI Mistake
  • UEFI Restricted Boot: Torvalds Asks Developers Not to “Please Microsoft by Doing Idiotic Crap Approach”, Petition Set Up to Nail Microsoft for This Antitrust Abuse


    • February

  • Torvalds Curses Over UEFI Stupidity, Gets Upset at Red Hat
  • ZaReason Criticises Microsoft’s UEFI Restricted Boot Practices
  • Ubuntu Release Cycles Controlled by Microsoft UEFI Restricted Boot
  • UEFI Disasters Are Microsoft’s Fault, Stop Blaming Linux or Samsung
  • Advertising and Legitimising Microsoft Control of Linux
  • FAT is Free (Gratis) as Long as You Serve Microsoft’s Agenda
  • Former Novell Employees in Microsoft’s Fight Against GNU/Linux Adoption
  • Complain About — Don’t Work Around — Microsoft’s Abusive UEFI Scheme
  • Adventures in UEFI Mischief and Selective Criticism of Google
  • Ignore the Spin: Microsoft’s UEFI Programme Still Bricking Laptops


    • January

  • New Fedora Suffers From UEFI While Desktops Suffer Steep Decline and Sales Drop
  • Vista 8 Worse Than Vista, So Microsoft Must Block Competition to Save Windows
  • 2013: The Age of Linux-Hostile PCs
  • Free Software Foundation (FSF) Seeks Funds to Help Those Who Cannot Use GNU and Linux on New PCs Due to UEFI
  • Latest Case of Microsoft Using Hardware Companies to Block GNU/Linux Coincides With Denying Previous Such Case
  • Microsoft’s Anticompetitive Attack on GNU/Linux Booting is Bricking Laptops


    • 2012

    December

  • Vista 8 Fails This Xmas, UEFI Blocks GNU and Linux While Microsoft Tries Collecting in China, Stopping Sales of Open PCs
  • Vista 8 Continues to Fail, But Succeeds at Suppressing GNU and Linux Installs
  • Supporting UEFI in 2012 is Like Supporting OOXML in 2007
  • Guest Post: UEFI’s Effects on the User
  • New Reports Show How Microsoft Rendered New Hardware Linux-hostile Out of the Box Using UEFI Demands


    • November

  • UEFI Apologists Versus Germany’s Government Judgment on UEFI Insecurity
  • Vista 8 Signals the End of Windows Domination; Microsoft Starts Lying (Fake Numbers), Block GNU/Linux
  • New PCs Cannot Boot Linux Due to Microsoft Dirty Tricks
  • Microsoft Proves Techrights Right by Screwing UEFI ‘Partners’
  • Vista 8 is Not Selling, But Microsoft’s UEFI Scheme Blocks Linux Installations/Booting
  • Garrett a Microsoft Apologist
  • Ubuntu Decided to Stay With GPLv3 After Public Backlash


    • October

  • Microsoft Can’t Understand Security (Lesson for UEFI Apologists)
  • Linux Wins the Devices OS War, Microsoft Tries to Lock it Out With UEFI
  • Microsoft Breaks the Web and Linux


    • September

  • Ubuntu Acknowledges UEFI Mistake by Taking FSF Advice


    • August

  • The Early Demise of Vista 8 and the Obsolescence of UEFI
  • SUSE to Help Microsoft With UEFI Agenda
  • Microsoft Cannot Defend UEFI


    • July

  • Microsoft Corporation — Not Just Microsoft Windows — a SPAM Leader; UEFI Not the Answer
  • Microsoft Dictatorship Divides and Conquers Linux With Novell, Red Hat, and Ubuntu
  • Red Hat Does Not Want to Defend Its Position on UEFI
  • Restricted Boot Arguably Fought Against by Linux, Not Just GNU
  • UEFI Problems Addressed by Linux Developers, Not Distributions
  • TechBytes Episode 69: Richard Stallman on ‘Secure’ Boot (UEFI), Coreboot, GRUB, and Boot Freedom
  • UEFI Debate Rages on While New Workarounds and Advice Surface
  • Debian Follows the FSF’s — Not Red Hat’s — Footsteps Regarding UEFI
  • FSF and FSFE Both Speak Out Against UEFI; Ubuntu Drifts Away From FSF, Whereas Debian Comes Closer to FSF
  • Features of Vista 8 Focused on Errors, Antifeatures
  • Canonical and Red Hat Receive Negative Publicity Over Submissive UEFI Choices
  • Coverage of the Free Software Foundation’s Response to UEFI
  • The FSF Moves From Petition to Recommendations Regarding UEFI Fight


    • June

  • With UEFI, Microsoft Assaults the General Public License (GPL) and Computing Freedom in General
  • Answers to Microsoft’s UEFI Plot Summarised, More Pretence That Microsoft is ‘Open’
  • Vista 8 Will Drive More OEMs to GNU/Linux
  • FSF Says Microsoft’s Flagging of Its Site as ‘Gambling’ is Wrong; FSF’s Anti-UEFI Petition Grows Popular, Debian Joins
  • Ubuntu and UEFI
  • Red Hat Fails to Convince That UEFI is Tolerable, Uses ‘Security’ as Talking Point
  • Red Hat Was Wrong About UEFI, Failed to Ask the Users
  • Linus Torvalds Disputes Security of UEFI
  • Red Hat Criticised for Advancing Microsoft’s UEFI Agenda
  • Microsoft’s Monopolistic Abuses Continue as Red Hat and Fedora Tax Are Put in Place