Microsoft Changes Windows Security After 15 Years—Update By ‘End Of April’

InnovationCybersecurityMicrosoft Changes Windows Security After 15 Years—Update By ‘End Of April’ByZak Doffman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy.Follow AuthorApr 22, 2026, 01:14am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Check your PC by the end of this month.NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThis has never happened before. Microsoft is expiring the authentication that protects Windows PCs from threats each time they restart. Secure Boot certificates on almost all Windows PCs date back to 2011 and will now be replaced. The process starts this month and is wrapped into April’s security update.While Microsoft had said that “starting in April 2026,” PCs users will be able to check their PCs to confirm the update has installed successfully, that advice has now been updated. The status check “won’t show up immediately on all PCs,” the company now says, but the update will be available “by the end of April 2026."ForbesHow To Save Disappearing Messages On Your iPhoneBy Zak DoffmanThe update both installs new certificates and confirms whether user action is required. When you go to Windows Security > Device security > Secure Boot, Microsoft tells PC owners that, “a green, yellow, or red badge attached to the Secure Boot icon indicates your current Secure Boot status.” You’re looking for a red icon indicating that “something that needs your immediate attention.”The new, updated advice comes via Windows Latest, which explains that “Secure Boot certificates are used to validate boot software, and if they are expired, your computer could be exposed to boot-level malware (bootkits) or unauthorized modifications in the worst-case scenario.”MORE FOR YOUWhile the timeline for Secure Boot certificate expiry has been available from Microsoft for some time, “the catch is that Secure Boot stat...