# Turns out Microsoft’s Secure Boot was little better than a busted lock for about a decade

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/turns-out-microsofts-secure-boot-was-little-better-than-a-busted-lock-for-about-a-decade/
- Published: 2026-07-16T14:49:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-03T05:21:28+00:00
- Original publisher: PC Gamer
- Original article: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/operating-systems/turns-out-microsofts-secure-boot-was-little-better-than-a-busted-lock-for-about-a-decade/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Microsoft revoked 11 bootloaders that could bypass Secure Boot.
- Malware could persist beyond drive changes or OS reinstalls.
- One vulnerability had reportedly been known for around a decade.

## Summary

Microsoft has revoked trust for 11 vulnerable UEFI shim bootloaders after researchers found they could be used to bypass Secure Boot, a protection designed to stop unauthorised code running during start-up. The flaw could allow malicious firmware to persist even after a hard drive replacement or operating-system reinstallation, affecting both Windows and Linux systems.

The shims, used to help Linux systems work with Secure Boot, were signed using Microsoft’s UEFI CA 2011 certificate and appeared in Linux distributions and PC diagnostic tools. ESET reported the 11 vulnerable shims in February, and Microsoft revoked them in its June monthly update; at least one reported weakness had reportedly been publicly documented for about a decade.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.