Microsoft’s latest security update has ruined dual-boot Windows and Linux PCs

Microsoft’s latest monthly information update is wreaking havoc connected dual-boot Windows and Linux systems. The bundle elephantine issued a information spot past week to hole a two-year-old vulnerability successful the GRUB open-source footwear loader utilized by tons of Linux devices. Microsoft’s spot wasn’t expected to deed dual-boot devices, but galore person recovered it has and it’s present stopping their Linux installs from booting properly.

Ars Technica reports that aggregate Linux dual-boot users are seeing “security argumentation violation” messages, on with “something has gone earnestly wrong” errors. There are reports of issues crossed Reddit, Ubuntu forums, and elsewhere. Distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, and Puppy Linux person each been affected by Microsoft’s patch.

The update was expected to hole a vulnerability that allowed hackers to bypass Secure Boot, a exertion that’s wide utilized by Windows and Linux distributions to guarantee malicious firmware isn’t loaded onto devices during boot. Microsoft said earlier this month it would use “a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update to artifact susceptible Linux footwear loaders that could person an interaction connected Windows security,” but that the update would not beryllium applied to dual-boot systems with some Windows and Linux truthful it “should not impact these systems.”

Microsoft hasn’t commented connected the issues its update has caused, but determination is a workaround for Ubuntu users that involves disabling Secure Boot astatine the BIOS level and past logging into a Ubuntu idiosyncratic relationship and opening a terminal to delete Microsoft’s SBAT policy.

Microsoft has been utilizing Secure Boot successful Windows for years, and made it a key requirement for Windows 11 to usage the exertion to unafraid against BIOS rootkits. Researchers person recovered plentifulness of vulnerabilities successful Secure Boot implicit the years, and precocious it was discovered that Secure Boot is completely breached connected galore PCs.