Microsoft has resolved a critical issue that prevented Linux from booting on dual-boot systems with Secure Boot enabled after users installed the August 2024 Windows security updates.
The problem affected both Windows 10 and 11, as well as Windows Server 2012 and later versions.
The issue stemmed from a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update, designed to block vulnerable UEFI shim bootloaders as part of the mitigation for CVE-2022-2601, a GRUB2 Secure Boot bypass. Although Microsoft previously stated that the SBAT update would not be applied to systems detected as dual-booting, the detection failed in cases where users employed custom dual-boot configurations.
As a result, many Linux users — including those on Ubuntu, Zorin OS, Linux Mint, and Puppy Linux — found their systems unbootable and encountered a “SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation” error after applying the update.
Following widespread user reports, Microsoft acknowledged the issue and has since issued a fix.
Affected users are advised to check for the latest Windows updates or refer to Microsoft’s support channels for specific recovery steps.
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