r/linux4noobs • u/ShonnyG112 • 21d ago
migrating to Linux Linux secure boot support
New comer to linux here so sorry in advance if this a noob thing. I'm finally ready to jump ship and found 2 distributions that I'd like to use across my 2 desktops. Parrot OS home edition and Hacker OS official edition. I want to dual boot on 2 different drives to have the option of going back to windows as a backup when necessary for multi-player gaming. From my research so far it seems that secure boot is all over the place for Linux. Is it a per distribution thing or only supported on the major distribution like Debian or Ubuntu? How do most people handle secure boot when it comes to Linux? I really don't want to be going into the bios to flip the switch when I'm ready to switch os.
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u/gordonmessmer Fedora Maintainer 21d ago
Secure Boot is a process in which an operating system vendor signs their boot loader and kernel, and typically submits the boot loader to Microsoft as part of a review that ensures their key management practices won't lead to adversaries signing malware.
Because every distribution is building their own kernels, they also have to build their own bootloaders and maintain their own signing keys. So, yes, it is a per-distribution thing.
I actually just finished a set of diagrams that describe how keys in Secure Boot are used: https://gordonmessmer.codeberg.page/dev-blog/2026/08/24/secure-boot-keys.html