Implementing UEFI Secure Boot in Qubes OS: Challenges and Future Steps
09-21, 10:45–11:15 (Europe/Berlin), Social Hub Main Room

The ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity demands robust mechanisms to ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of computing environments. UEFI Secure Boot has emerged as a critical feature to protect systems against persistent firmware attacks and unauthorized code execution. While Qubes OS is renowned for its security-centric approach, the official support for UEFI Secure Boot remains a significant milestone yet to be fully realized.

This talk will explore the challenges and potential solutions for implementing UEFI Secure Boot in Qubes OS. Leveraging insights from ongoing discussions and issues like QubesOS Issue #4371, we will explore the necessary system changes, from signing boot images to configuring the system to accommodate Secure Boot's complexities.

Key aspects to be covered include:

  1. Current Limitations and User Impact: Understanding why Secure Boot is not currently supported and the implications for users, particularly those needing dual-boot environments.
  2. Technical Roadblocks: This section highlights technical challenges such as signing GRUB and Xen binaries, managing key enrollments, and ensuring compatibility across different hardware setups.
  3. Proposed Solutions: This section discusses the steps proposed in issue #4371 to sign boot images with dedicated keys, build unified Xen boot images, and make necessary GRUB configuration changes.
  4. Security Enhancements and Benefits: Evaluate how Secure Boot can enhance Qubes OS's overall security posture and protect against specific attack vectors.
  5. Roadmap and Community Involvement: Outlining the future steps towards full Secure Boot support and how the community can participate in the ongoing testing, feedback, and development efforts.

This talk addresses both the technical and procedural aspects and aims to provide a comprehensive roadmap for achieving UEFI Secure Boot support in Qubes OS, ultimately paving the way for a more secure and resilient operating system.

See also: Presentation Slides (1.2 MB)

Piotr Król is an open-source firmware enthusiast who founded 3mdeb in
March 2015. His expertise is rooted in the hacker ethos of collaborative
innovation and transparency, guiding 3mdeb's focus on projects like
Zarhus OS, a Yocto-based Embedded Linux distribution, and Dasharo, a
coreboot downstream project. These projects are dedicated to open
development, embedded firmware resilience, platform security,
transparency, the right to repair, and digital sovereignty.

Piotr's deep involvement in open-source firmware includes key computing
areas such as Root of Trust, Secure, Verified and Measured Boot, TPM,
coreboot, UEFI, EDK II, Yocto, U-Boot, and Linux. He often speaks at
significant industry events like FOSDEM, Xen Developers Summit, and
Platform Security Summit, sharing his insights and promoting the
open-source firmware ecosystem. Piotr is dedicated to sharing knowledge
by serving as a Trainer at OpenSecurityTraining2, offering free and open
educational materials to advance the open-source firmware ecosystem.

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