Microsoft Signed 11 Files That Bypass Secure Boot

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:29:52 +0200

Some malware loads before Windows even starts, before your antivirus exists. It survives a full reinstall, and 11 files signed by Microsoft are all it takes.

One check is supposed to make that impossible. These 11 get past it, on almost any PC.

ESET’s Martin Smolár published this on July 14. The files are old, some more than ten years old, and each one carries a valid Microsoft signature.

When you turn on your computer, something runs before Windows does. It is the firmware, the low-level code built into the machine, and its job is to load the thing that loads Windows. Secure Boot is the check that runs at that moment. It looks at each piece of startup code and asks one question: is this signed by someone I trust? If the answer is yes, it runs. If no, it stops.

Secure Boot on HackingPassion.com : root@HackingPassion.com-[~]

Microsoft Signed 11 Files That Bypass Secure Boot