What is a boot integrity mechanism like Secure Boot?

Secure Boot is a firmware security feature that ensures only digitally signed and trusted software can execute during the system startup process. When the computer powers on, Secure Boot verifies the digital signature of the bootloader against certificates stored in the firmware before allowing execution. If the signature is invalid or missing, the boot process is halted, preventing rootkits and boot-level malware from loading before the operating system and its security controls. ---