WordPress Hosti
HomeSoftwareWindows 8 - What Microsoft won’t tell you about Secure Boot

Windows 8 – What Microsoft won’t tell you about Secure Boot

Best Jumia Tech Week Deals

In March, 2012 Microsoft proudly released the Windows 8 consumer preview beta version. According to Microsoft, the new Windows is reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability with an all-new touch interface.

Where to Buy Original Windows OS

Jumia.com.ng from ₦15,500.00 View Offers
Konga.com from ₦23,500.00 View Offersimp

  • How to Upgrade to Windows 8 from Windows 7

One of the main features of the new Windows is secure boot. In most PCs today, the pre-operating system environment is vulnerable to attacks because it could redirect the boot loader handoff to possible malicious loaders. These loaders remain undetected to operating system security measures and antimalware software.

So Microsoft announced that if computer manufacturers want to distribute computers with the Windows 8 compatibility logo, they should implement a measure called Secure Boot. Secure Boot is designed to protect Windows 8 against malware by preventing computers from loading unauthorized binary programs when booting, if done correctly. Microsoft also claimed that they are working with their partners to ensure that secured boot delivers a great security experience for their customers. Microsoft supports OEMs having the flexibility to decide who manages security certificates and how to allow customers to import and manage those certificates, and manage secure boot.

How today’s PCs Starts Up – Unsecure boot

As I’ve already mentioned that the pre-operating system environment is vulnerable to attacks on existing Windows OS. Normally when the PC starts up, the first job for the BIOS is the power-on self-test, which initializes and identifies system devices such as the CPU, RAM, video display card, keyboard and mouse, hard disk drive, optical disc drive and other hardware. The BIOS then locates boot loader software held on a boot device, such as a hard disk or a CD/DVD, and loads and executes that software, giving it control of the PC. This process is known as booting, or booting up, which is short for bootstrapping.

BIOS was first introduced when processors were running in 16-bit mode, and RAM was architecturally limited to 1 megabyte. But BIOS remained same even after the advent of 32-bit, and later 64-bit x86 CPUs.

Harsh Truth behind Secure boot

The Secure boot comes as part of a specification called the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). It defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. It is said that UEFI is a more secure replacement for the older BIOS firmware interface.

- Advertisement -Fiverr Business

Secure Boot is made to protect Windows 8 against malware by preventing computers from loading unauthorized binary programs when booting. In practice, this means that computers implementing it won’t boot other unauthorized free operating systems other than Windows. Since users are unable to authorize the programs they want to use, the free software community calls this feature as restricted boot instead of secure boot and they believe this is not a security feature at all.

Don’t accept restricted boot requirements that do not allow users to install their own custom free software operating systems. Let’s put our hand together and let’s take a pledge for a better world by using free software. Spread the idea of freedom.

About the author: Shahzad Saeed is a student, open source enthusiast and author of the Google Summer of Code ebook. If you wish to switch over to free software, you can read his article series Migration from Windows to free software. You can follow him on twitter @shahzadsaeed.
About Guest Post: This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above. If you’d like to guest post for naijatechguide check out our guest post page for details about how you can share your knowledge, tips, and experience with our readers.

Windows OS Articles

Paschal Okafor is NaijaTechGuide Team Lead. The article Windows 8 – What Microsoft won’t tell you about Secure Boot was written by Paschal Okafor. The article was last modified: May 23rd, 2016
AliExpress 11 11 Sales
NaijaTechGuide may receive financial compensation for products/services purchased through affiliate links on this site. See full Affiliate Disclosure Here
Paschal Okafor
Paschal Okafor
Paschal Okafor is the founder of NaijaTechGuide. A Graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Paschal is passionate about Technology and since 2006 has written over 4000 articles covering Mobile Devices, Consumer Electronics, Digital Marketing, Mobile Apps, and Online Services. Over the past 16 years, he has managed to turn a blog that started life on a Google Blogger subdomain into the Largest Technology Blog in Nigeria and quite possibly the largest in Africa. Paschal has been Building, Analyzing, and Maintaining Websites for over 17 years and also shares his wealth of knowledge and experience about building and managing websites on NaijaTechGuide.

Recommended Read on NaijaTechGuide

Best Marketing Automation Software 2024

You need the best marketing automation software to scale your business fast and convert...

Best Content Marketing Tools for 2024

As a content marketer, you have a lot of tasks to accomplish. You need...

Best VPN Services Providers for 2024

The internet is one of the greatest achievements of humanity, but it is also...

Best 20KVA Generators to Buy in 2024

Generator sets, as an alternate source of power supply, come in their different sizes...

Best Laptops for Students 2024: 11 Top Picks to Choose From

So, you are a student who is looking to get the best laptop they...

Cheap Android Phones 2024 – Price, Specs, and Best Deals

Android phones are the most popular smartphone category. The popularity of Android phones are...

Best Android Phones 2024 – Price, Specs, and Best Deals

New Android Phones are launched into the market every week. This means that if...

Best Web Hosting Services for Building Websites in 2024

A good and reliable web hosting service will make a big difference for your...
Fiverr Business

More like this

Building a Resilient Database System for Financial Applications

In  general  terms,  resilience  is  the  ability  to  withstand  adversity  and  bounce  back  from ...

The 2024 Africa Technology Expo comes to Lagos in Full Flight

The 2024 Africa Technology Expo, organized by Spark Africa and now proudly sponsored by...

Database Optimisation, a Continuous Process not an Event

Databases are a critical component of applications that power small and large businesses. The...