So, on July 27th, 2026 Windows secure boot certificates will start expiring. This means tha tolder Windows systems will get more vulnerable every day to hardware and bios level viruses. (the kind that can’t be detected by A/V software)

What are your options?
* if your pc is less than 5 years old (bios date), run the windows and firmware updates, and make sure you are using UEFI boot mode with secure boot enabled.
* If you are on older hardware, buy new Mobo-ram-cpu kit, or a new pc.(which is out of budget for most people).
* Take the Penguin Plunge. Switch to Linux. Yes, there is a learning curve and not everything is going to work the way you think. But you get your freedoms back.
* Stay running on what you got and take the gamble of being hit.
* Stay running on what you got, but take your PC off the net. (his is putting your pc in isolation, and using a safe machine to get on the internet, using an external drive to transfer files to and from the unsupported pc.

Keep in mind that this is a (15 year old) MS based issue, that needs coordination between Microsoft and your mainboards manufacturer to keep these certifications current. Linux systems don’t have this flaw.

What am I doing? (Granted I’m not a typical user)
As with most people, I run a lot of Windows systems. Some more than 20 years old.
Some of the programs I use can only run on Windows. So I ran an audit of the software I use, and on what OS and if it needs internet access.
I built a pc with Windows (knowing that sooner or later those eufi certs will expire) and installed what patches and programs I need to run, patched the software to current and then “cut the cord”. That places that machine in my “sneaker-net”.
I took another machine and loaded my favorite linux distro (MXLinux, but there are many great choices including Zorin, Mint, openManriva, GhostBSD, Comodore). then loaded it up with the apps I’ll need to run daily and update. I run a lot of Windows programs in my linux because there just isn’t a good enough alternative in the Linux world, yet.

So, you have some choices to make in the next 2 months. MS is banking on you buying a new pc.
What do you want to do?