Installation, Image Creation, and Boot

The following features, enhancements, and changes related to installation, image creation, and boot are introduced in this Oracle Linux 8 release.

DEP and NX Options During Pre-Boot

The Data Execution Prevention (DEP), No Execute (NX), or Execute Disable (XD) memory protection features, prevents code from running that is marked as non-executable. These features have been available in Oracle Linux at the operating system level but not as part of bootloaders. Oracle Linux now includes the DEP/NX function in the GRUB and shim boot loaders. This functionality might prevent some vulnerabilities during the pre-boot stage, such as a malicious EFI drivers that might run attacks without the DEP/NX protection.