ISSUE 23.25.1 • 2026-06-23 By Susan Bradley Tomorrow is the drop-dead date. Tomorrow, June 24, 2026, the Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011 certificate will expire. But your computer will still boot. Life will go on. The sun will rise. On June 27, 2026, the second certificate will expire for the Microsoft UEFI CA 2011 certificate. […]

PATCH WATCH By Susan Bradley We’re coming up to the Secure Boot certificate deadline. It’s June. Celebration season. Graduation. Weddings. And Secure Boot certificate expirations. Okay, maybe we’re not celebrating that last one. There are only a few weeks left before the Windows Secure Boot certificates expire. Let me remind you again that consumers should […]

ISSUE 23.21.1 • 2026-05-25 By Susan Bradley Microsoft is slowly but surely starting to roll out Secure Boot security fixes to more and more machines. I’m therefore lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4. The May updates include not only the Secure Boot fixes but also a variety of other security-related patches. Start by installing KB5089549 […]

ISSUE 23.17.1 • 2026-04-28 By Susan Bradley The April updates continue to dribble out more fixes for Secure Boot certificates for some systems. But once you receive the April updates, you still may be waiting for the new certs to be installed. That happened to me on some systems. Nonetheless, the patching world is relatively […]

PATCH WATCH By Susan Bradley One of my complaints on behalf of consumers is that information about the new security certificates for Secure Boot has been vague — nearly hidden. Unless you are an AskWoody reader, you might not even be aware that there is an issue with Secure Boot certificates — not to mention […]

ISSUE 23.12 • 2026-03-23 PATCH WATCH By Susan Bradley Secure Boot continues to be confusing — and sometimes alarming. Nevertheless, here’s some reassurance for consumers and home users: For the most part, you can ignore all this Secure Boot patching advice. Your computer will boot if you get the update. Your computer will boot if […]

ISSUE 23.11.1 • 2026-03-19 By Will Fastie Great care must be taken when conversing with AI bots. In what can only be a galactic coincidence, I corresponded with two people this past Monday, both of whom had chatted with bots. One was an 87-year-old Plus member with a long background in technology and the other […]