I just read a few articles about a new Grub vulnerability. The article said that you can bypass the password protection by pressing backspace twenty eight times.

I am a security guy and I am concerned about the vulnerability, so I would like to know what measure is GNU and Linux taking? Is there a security update/fix/patch and can I do anything myself to keep my computer secure? I always keep my OS, web browser, and programs up to date, so will that help?

Here are the articles:


The Hacker News
Lifehacker


The main thing that is happening is that the bug is being seriously overhyped.


Exploiting this vulnerability requires physical access to the computer during startup, and if you've got physical access, there are about a zillion ways you can bypass security.
The bug is about bypassing Grub2's internal password protection.  Most users don't password-protect Grub2.
The bug is in the Grub2 bootloader.  If you're using direct boot from UEFI, LILO, classic Grub, or any of the non-x86 bootloaders, you're not vulnerable to it.


If you're worried about this bug, install your distro's patch for it, but keep in mind that, except in unusual circumstances, the vulnerability doesn't actually reduce security.
