From Techrights

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.

Matthew J Garrett

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

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Techrights

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