On 06/02/2012 06:27 PM, drago01 wrote:
No one is preventing anyone from providing instructions on how to
disable secure boot. We should definitely do that.
But those are not mutually exclusive ... i.e we can have both
documentation *and* an OS that just works.
Everyone, including Microsoft, agrees that the secure boot system can be
disabled. Currently the only envisioned mechanism is via a firmware
(UEFI) setup, therefore subject to vagaries of different firmware
implementations. The firmware is beyond our control: we can't give
reliable and meaningful instructions to the user on how to set it, and
AFAIK there is no API that would allow the bootloader, or other software
layers we control, to reach back and set it for future boots.
Therefore(*), it is reasonable and fair to implement an equivalent
facility in the signed bootloader, by offering the end user a choice to
leave the signed environment. The bootloader might enumerate
signed/secure kernels (Windows and official Fedora), but also offer an
extra choice, educating the end user by warning that it not only results
in booting into a non-secure environment but also opens the possibility
of subverting one of the signed/secure environments.
I believe(*) this is a defensible position---the choice is left to the
end user, and the security implications are almost identical to doing it
in firmware. A residual risk of exploits needs to be dealt with, just
like vulnerabilities in the rest of the secure boot process; the only
downside being that firmware implementations are diverse, and this
option would present a single target for exploit attempts, so it would
need a heightened level of review.
Greetings
przemek
(*) These are my personal opinions based solely on my own judgement and
experience as the technology user. As such, they express only my own
personal preferences and are not to be construed in any broader sense.
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