Key Takeaways
- Secure Boot is a vital security feature for modern PCs, helping to keep your data safe from malicious software during startup.
- While mostly associated with Windows, Secure Boot is an industry standard also supported by various Linux distributions like Ubuntu.
- Keep Secure Boot enabled on your Windows 11 PC unless you need to install incompatible software, as it helps protect your system.
If you have a relatively modern PC, you may have heard of a feature called Secure Boot. It’s one of the system requirements for installing Windows 11, and as the name suggests, it’s a security feature. But just how important is it, and should you keep Secure Boot enabled on your PC? The short answer is yes, you should.
Secure Boot is one of the many security systems modern PCs come with, and it plays a vital role in ensuring your PC can continue to run without compromising your data or its own usability. Let’s take a closer look.
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What is Secure Boot?
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While you mostly hear about Secure Boot in the Windows world, it’s an industry standard that’s not only supported by Windows, but varius Linux distributions such as Ubuntu. Secure Boot is a process in which the computer, upon being powered on, checks the signature of all the software installed on the computer to ensure that it can be trusted. This includes tjhhe UEFI firmware drivers, EFI applications, and the operating system itself.
If the signature of one these elements doesn’t match the database of trusted software, the computer won’t be able to start normally, and you need to initiate a recovery process. This prevents malicious software form starting with the computer and potentially compromising your data or even the ability to use the PC at all
Viruses and malware can attack in many ways, but injecting themselves into the boot process is one of the more dangerous schemes, as it ensures the virus is always running and can compromise your PC from the moment you turn it on. Secure Boot is designed to prevent that, greatly reducing the attack area and risk of using your PC, and that’s why it’s become mandatory in Windows 11.
That being said, Secure Boot isn’t a flawless system, and can be compromised by vulnerabilities in the firmware or hardware of a specific PC. This should be very uncommon, however.
Do I need to turn on Secure Boot?
Most likely, no. If you have a modern laptop or PC that suports Secure Boot, that feature is enabled out of the box, given how essential it si for protecting your system. However, it is possible to turn Secure Boot off, and it’s never a bad idea to check if Secure Boot is enabled.
If you’d like to do this, simply open the Start menu and type msinfo32then press Enter. You’ll see a field called Secure Boot Statewhich should be set to On.
If it’s off, you can reenable Secure Boot in your PC’s firmware, which varies by manufacturer.
Related
How to enable Secure Boot for Windows 11
Windows 11 comes with Secure Boot enabled by default, but if for some reason your PC has it turned off, here’s how to enable it.
Why would you turn Secure Boot off?
If Secure Boot is so important, you may be wondering why one might ever want to turn it off, and the primary reason is simple. Since Secure Boot checks the signature of your operating system, that means the OS itself needs to be trusted in order for your PC to work. And with the never-ending sea of Linux distributions out there, not all of them can obtain Secure Boot keys from OEMs, which means some operating systems will be considered “untrusted”, even if they’re totally fine.
As such, it’s not uncommon for lesser-known Linux distributions to require you to turn off Secure Boot before you can install them on a Windows 11 PC. It’s a risk you have to be willing to take if you really need that specific software. Thankfully, major distributions like Ubuntu do support Secure Boot, but you have to check on a case-by-case basis.
You should keep Secure Boot enabled if you can
The bottom line is, if you have a Windows 11 PC and you don’t need any software that’s incompatible with Secure Boot, you should leave the feature enabled. It’s an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to protecting your PC from ill-intended attackers, and it helps keep your PC in working condition and you data safe.
If you do need a specific Linux distribution or some kind of software that isn’t compatible with Secure Boot, then you can turn the featrure off in your computer’s firmware. However, if you do, you should redouble or efforts to be careful while browsing the internet to avoid exposing yourself to potential attackers.