Learn in the textbookSecurity Testing and IoT / Hardware Protection
DefinitionSecure boot (セキュアブート) is a technology that verifies the digital signatures of the OS and firmware when a device starts up and runs only software confirmed to be legitimate.
ExplanationA digital signature is a mark applied with a key that only the author holds, letting you confirm that the author is genuine and the contents have not been changed. If a tampered program slips in during startup, security software that runs later struggles to detect it, so the check stops it at the boot stage. IoT devices also use it to guard their software against tampering.
AnalogyLike a front desk at a building entrance that checks each person's staff ID and lets only real employees in.
Memory hookBoot comes from bootstrap, the loop at the back of a boot, and refers to the process from power-on until the OS is up and running. Making that process secure gives you secure boot.