A method performed in a computer system having a set of computing hardware including processing devices, and a data storage device (6, 16, 18), the computer system further including an operating system, hereinafter referred to as OS, executable on the computing hardware, and a security application executable on the computing hardware and operable dependent on the OS, the method for facilitating system security prior to start-up of the OS, the method comprising: initiating, via execution on the computing hardware prior to start-up of the operating system, a pre-OS security agent, the pre-OS security agent being operable independent of the OS; determining, via the pre-OS security agent, an indication of a state or condition relating to the computer system associated with at least one of: (a) a risk of an inability of the security application to function normally, and (b) a change in the computer system affecting the start-up of the OS, wherein the indication of the state or condition is determined using information which has been provided by the security application to the pre-OS security agent via a secure buffer wherein the information provided by the security application is encrypted using public key encryption; based on the indication, determining, via the pre-OS security agent, a set of at least one action to resolve the state or condition wherein the set of at least one action comprises performing, via the pre-OS security agent, malware scanning, wherein, in response to the information, written encrypted in the secure buffer by the security application, indicative of changes affecting the system startup sequence: the malware scanning is performed on the files and registry settings associated with the security application; or the malware scanning is targeted to files loaded in the boot sequence of the operating system; executing, via the pre-OS security agent, and only in response to the indication, the set of at least one action. initiating, via execution on the computing hardware prior to start-up of the operating system, a pre-OS security agent, the pre-OS security agent being operable independent of the OS; determining, via the pre-OS security agent, an indication of a state or condition relating to the computer system associated with at least one of: (a) a risk of an inability of the security application to function normally, and (b) a change in the computer system affecting the start-up of the OS, wherein the indication of the state or condition is determined using information which has been provided by the security application to the pre-OS security agent via a secure buffer wherein the information provided by the security application is encrypted using public key encryption; based on the indication, determining, via the pre-OS security agent, a set of at least one action to resolve the state or condition wherein the set of at least one action comprises performing, via the pre-OS security agent, malware scanning, wherein, in response to the information, written encrypted in the secure buffer by the security application, indicative of changes affecting the system startup sequence: the malware scanning is performed on the files and registry settings associated with the security application; or the malware scanning is targeted to files loaded in the boot sequence of the operating system; the malware scanning is performed on the files and registry settings associated with the security application; or the malware scanning is targeted to files loaded in the boot sequence of the operating system; executing, via the pre-OS security agent, and only in response to the indication, the set of at least one action.