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Linux users threaten Microsoft with ACCC

By on September 26th, 2011 
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Plans to enable a secure boot on Windows 8 machines have drawn the ire of Linux Australia's membership, and have the Linux Australia Council itself considering a campaign against Microsoft.

Microsoft revealed plans recently that would require all alternative operating systems to carry Microsoft security keys to be compatible with the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and its secure-booting procedures.

This would make it impossible to install alternative operating systems like Linux, or even older versions of Windows, if the OEM doesn't bundle the secure keys with new OS releases and the hardware vendor doesn't enable the secure-boot feature to be switched off.

Members of Linux Australia are looking to petition the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), claiming that Microsoft's behaviour is anti-competitive. They are circulating a form letter addressed to the ACCC in an attempt to press the regulator into action, as well as a step-by-step guide on how to create a new complaint for investigation.

Linux Australia president John Ferlito told ZDNet Australia today that the council will be meeting on Thursday night to determine whether it will take up a campaign against Microsoft's secure boot practices.

Microsoft has already responded to community uproar that Linux could be blocked, saying that it isn't seeking to lock out other OEMs, but merely to secure the system from malicious pre-boot processes.

Microsoft's summary of why the community shouldn't be alarmed read:

  • UEFI allows firmware to implement a security policy
  • Secure boot is a UEFI protocol; not a Windows 8 feature
  • UEFI secure boot is part of Windows 8 secured boot architecture
  • Secure boot doesn't "lock out" operating system loaders, but is a policy that allows firmware to validate authenticity of components
  • OEMs have the ability to customise their firmware to meet the needs of their customers by customising the level of certificate and policy management on their platform
  • Microsoft does not mandate or control the settings on PC firmware that control or enable secured boot from any operating system other than Windows.

Talkback

Doesn't Linux have UEFI implementation as well ? So why are the penguins getting their panties in a bunch ? It is a OEM firmware customisation - and this will be the future with or without Windows 8.

fred9999fred9999 September 26th, 2011
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I consider my self a Linux lover as well, but see no need to panic. What Linux as whole needs to do is get on board with secure boot and trusted computing, it's that simple.
The Linux community as whole needs to recognize that change can be a good thing and start to try and work with others to try and find an acceptable solution and not create a war.
UEFI has been around for while, Intel have had it for several years so in my opinion the Linux as a whole just needs to work together find out what they need to do in order to make it work. It's not a barricade but a challenge.
I know it's not simple but

anthw27anthw27 September 26th, 2011
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Matthew's blog explains the situation rather well. The issue is not so simple.

- There is no centralized signing authority, really.
- MS doesn't require any hardware vendor to ship keys outside of Win8's. This could be disastrous- especially with lazy vendors.

There's more to this than was mentioned in the comments.

CommonOddityCommonOddity September 26th, 2011
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Neither of those issues relate to Microsoft though.

If the Linux distributors want to have their OS's working with secure boot they can go about getting their secret signing keys embedded in the UEFI chips from OEMs the same way as Microsoft has to.

Microsoft isn't going to OEMs telling them they need to lock their systems down so they can ONLY boot Windows 8, that's a complete myth that's been created by so called journalists. All they are doing is providing OEMs their keys they need to verify that the Windows 8 installation their system is attempting to boot is in fact the same as signed by Microsoft. If they don't want to include it, they don't have to, if they want people to enable/disable this feature it's up to them as well.

moonheadmoonhead September 27th, 2011
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Yes, but you forget…

Some of us who use Linux, compile our own images, including the boot-loader. Requiring the boot loader to be signed by a special key would effectively mean we must use someone else's compiled binary boot loader, stifling development of boot loader projects such as GRUB and making life very difficult for the power users out there.

So no, it's not as simple as getting Linux "vendors" to just get their own keys, unless Joe Average can somehow get a key, which would make the secure boot nonsense is totally worthless.

The only thing I see this as possibly solving, is the issue of boot sector viruses… how often to those see the light of day these days?

RedhatterRedhatter September 27th, 2011
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I would hope the average joe couldn't get their own key. The idea of a secure boot is that there is a trust relationship amongst every person/company involved. The end user trusts their OEM/Hardware provider who in turn trusts to OS vendor. I don't trust you, so I wouldn't consider a system signed by you as being secure.

This is a purely optional process. You don't NEED to have secure boot. If you want to ensure you boot process is secure and is actually booting a verified OS image/binaries then you can use secure boot. If you are compiling your own OS and boot loader then you already know it's secure so you won't need to take any further action.

Also you never know, some vendors might offer the ability to load new certificates into their UEFI data store, so you could in fact sign your compiled OS yourself. But that's totally up with OEMs to come up with, if that's a feature they want to provide.

moonheadmoonhead September 27th, 2011
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1. You are right. MS is not deliberately telling OEMs to lockout other OS'. Anybody that has made that claim (to wit, I don't believe I've come across anyone like that aside for folks in the comments section) is an idiot.

2. However, it doesn't mean that the exactitude of MS' requirements doesn't imply certain things. They will dictate terms for 'certification', to which OEMs will have to follow. That's fine and dandy. It's not a matter of pinning the matter with Microsoft- but rather the OEMs, which have a very poor track record of playing nice (aside for specific companies). The only way that MS is at fault, is by proxy to being a business. They have to cover their own end, so they don't really dive out of their way to make this a fully-functioning system with a central authority, or committee. or anything of the like. It works in their favor, so they don't say a peep past what they have to.

3. The naivette involved with this matter is unbelievable. It's not about some crazy scheme to push competition out- this would not bode well for many OEMs (as I'm sure some would do their best to appease to the geek hobbyist crowd, and make the feature toggled by the user- and others wouldn't) and vendors alike. The problem is the haphazard approach that already has been taken. Not only that... But when there is money involved, and things play to MS' advantage, OEMs generally turn a blind eye. You think that special ACPI behavior when running Windows is coincidence? Yeah...

CommonOddityCommonOddity September 28th, 2011
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I give it a week after release, someone will get around it.

jeff_sydjeff_syd September 27th, 2011
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What in the world is the big problem with Linux users anyway?

Change the BIOS to boot off external USB drives only. When you want Linux, connect that drive and when you want Windows, connect that one. Once booted into either, connect the drive not used to boot from in order to copy data one way or the other. Big deal.

gregwhgregwh September 27th, 2011
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Sorry mate but you did not understand UEFI nor article.
It's not about dual booting, it's about verifying signature on what is booting, down to a root CA that is pre-installed in UEFI firmware. Guess what CA will most likely be preinstalled and which one has all chances to be missed out or delayed.

cubeovercubeover September 27th, 2011
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Good luck getting the ACCC involved, that toothless tiger only seems to get involved in really unwarranted cases were they target a large company to get a bit of PR and look like they are doing things. Serious anti-competition or consumer issues like petrol collusion (come on weekly special day that all servos do, while jacking up the prices every other day) they won't touch. I doubt they could even comprehend what linux was, let alone care less about consumers.

deonastdeonast September 27th, 2011
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Microsoft's disingenuous and deceitful moves in this matter are chronicled in an article with people involved... here;
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/26/uefi_linux_lock_out_row_latest/
get informed.
People who steal our rights and freedoms often do so when we've simply left them laying around seemingly unused, Sometimes they pick our pockets of our rights and freedoms and then tell us they'll 'Manage them For Us'. Microsoft is attacking every man, woman, and child that lives now or ever will.
As an illustration; In the States there is legal president that if you let somebody drive your car ONCE they actually have legal standing to come and take it in the future. The law sees it as if you've given them license to share in your car forever. Your Rights are even more tenuous a possession than that.

Dan158Dan158 September 28th, 2011
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hi to all at m.zdnet.com.au i thought i had sent this newyears eve but it didnt send so i have sent it again all best for 2012 to all of you
- matt-gent

mattgentonmattgenton January 3rd, 2012
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