Ubuntu 22.04 Secure Boot Blocks NVIDIA Kernel Module Loading

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

GUI performance degrades and nvidia-smi fails because kernel module does not load under Secure Boot.

Environment & Reproduction

Ubuntu 22.04 with proprietary NVIDIA driver and UEFI Secure Boot enabled; reproduce after driver reinstall without proper module signing.

Root Cause Analysis

Secure Boot enforces signed kernel modules; unsigned DKMS build output is rejected at module insertion time.

Quick Triage

Check mokutil –sb-state, run lsmod | grep nvidia, and inspect dmesg for module verification failed messages.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Validate DKMS build status, inspect enrolled MOK keys, and confirm whether nvidia module signatures match enrolled trust chain.

Solution – Primary Fix

Enroll MOK key and sign NVIDIA DKMS modules, or reinstall driver via Ubuntu packages with proper Secure Boot signing workflow.

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Temporarily disable Secure Boot for troubleshooting, switch to open drivers, or pin tested driver version.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

nvidia modules load at boot, nvidia-smi reports devices, and desktop/workload acceleration functions normally.

Rollback Plan

Revert to previous driver package and remove newly enrolled keys if rollout introduces module trust conflicts.

Prevention & Hardening

Standardize signed module process in imaging pipelines and retest Secure Boot after every kernel/driver update.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Related Ubuntu 22.04 graphics issues include GNOME login loops and black screen after suspend on specific drivers.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

View all Ubuntu 22.04 LTS tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

Ubuntu Secure Boot docs, DKMS documentation, NVIDIA Linux driver guides, and mokutil manual.