One of the new features in Windows 8 is its use of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) to create a secure path from the moment a PC is powered on until the operating system is loaded. This help protects against hackers that attempt to insert malware at the pre-OS environment by corrupting the boot loader, a fairly vulnerable vector that is increasingly targeted.

In a post on the eagerly watched Building Windows 8 blog, Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows group at Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), elaborated: "Windows 8 addresses this vulnerability with UEFI secure boot, and using policy present in firmware along with certificates to ensure that only properly signed and authenticated components are allowed to execute."

Detractors, however, have accused Microsoft of using UEFI to block the installation of non-Windows operating systems.

UEFI will only hand over control of the hardware to an operating system it recognizes. This is bad news to some, given Microsoft's requirement that PC manufacturers ship with Windows 8 secure boot enabled by default, and with no current provisions made for other operating platforms. The result: alternative operating systems such as Linux could well be edged out of the running.

Microsoft has responded that the issue could easily be resolved by manufactures that implement a "disable secure boot" toggle to pass control back to the consumers. Assurances aside, Microsoft may want to better assuage fears of an OS monoculture by listing the ability to disable its secure boot as a mandatory requirement for Windows 8 certification.

Ultimately, UEFI with Windows 8 will be an excellent method of tightening up the boot-up process.

For more:
- check out this article at InformationWeek
- check out this article at The Inquirer
- check out this article at The Register

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