18 Jan, 2025

New UEFI Secure Boot flaw exposes systems to bootkits, patch now

A new UEFI Secure Boot bypass vulnerability tracked as CVE-2024-7344 that affects a Microsoft-signed application could be exploited to deploy bootkits even if Secure Boot protection is active. The vulnerable UEFI application is present in multiple real-time system recovery tools from several third-party software developers. Bootkits represent a critical security threat that is difficult to detect because […]

3 mins read

PKfail Secure Boot bypass remains a significant risk two months later

Roughly nine percent of tested firmware images use non-production cryptographic keys that are publicly known or leaked in data breaches, leaving many Secure Boot devices vulnerable to UEFI bootkit malware attacks. Known as ‘PKfail,’ and now tracked as CVE-2024-8105, the supply chain attack is caused by test Secure Boot master key (Platform Key “PK”), which computer […]

2 mins read

Microsoft shares temp fix for Linux boot issues on dual-boot systems

Microsoft has provided a workaround to temporarily fix a known issue that is blocking Linux from booting on dual-boot systems with Secure Boot enabled. The company says this temporary fix can help Linux users revive unbootable systems displaying “Something has gone seriously wrong: SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation” errors after installing the August 2024 […]

2 mins read

Microsoft confirms August updates break Linux boot in dual-boot systems

Microsoft has confirmed the August 2024 Windows security updates are causing Linux booting issues on dual-boot systems with Secure Boot enabled. The issue is caused by a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update applied to block Linux boot loaders unpatched against the CVE-2022-2601 GRUB2 Secure Boot bypass vulnerability. “Resulting from this issue, your device might fail to boot […]

2 mins read

New Windows updates break dual boot on some Linux systems

According to user reports following this month’s Patch Tuesday, the August 2024 Windows updates are breaking dual boot on Linux systems with Secure Boot enabled. This issue is caused by Microsoft’s decision to apply a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update to block Linux boot loaders unpatched against the CVE-2022-2601 GRUB2 Secure Boot bypass vulnerability, which could […]

2 mins read

PKfail Secure Boot bypass lets attackers install UEFI malware

Hundreds of UEFI products from 10 vendors are susceptible to compromise due to a critical firmware supply-chain issue known as PKfail, which allows attackers to bypass Secure Boot and install malware. As the Binarly Research Team found, affected devices use a test Secure Boot “master key”—also known as Platform Key (PK)—generated by American Megatrends International […]

3 mins read