I can confirm this bug (looks more like plain stupidity than a bug) and
it affected me badly.

Never ever update of anything should touch MBR or 'autoidiotically' change 
vital system areas 
unless explicitly told to do so by admin.

> Would it be easier to detect other bootloaders?

No. No one can know of all or even most of bootloaders in use, the less how to 
detect them reliably.
Ie there can be govt mandated security assesment under its own bootmanager that 
a few people 
will ever see.

Fix:

There is /boot/grub or /etc/default/grub to use for. flag whether messing with 
MBR is allowed.
If user/admin agrees to during install, put either grub_can_mess_with_mbr.yes 
file into /boot/grub directory
or fill in GRUB_CAN_MESS_WITH_MBR=yes in suitable script in /etc/grub.d and 
transfer it to grub.cfg
for inspection. also GRUB_INSTALL_TO_DEV= or GRUB_INSTALL_TO_UUID= need to be 
introduced 
and RESPECTED.
 

P.S. It is CRITICAL bug. In fact due to this stupidity of grub2 update I am 
told now to purge ubuntu from 
ALL places in my organization, after a few year battle for being allowed to 
install ubuntu on less important
production machines. 

System: 10.04 LTS / dual boot with nationa

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/495423

Title:
  update to grub-pc writes MBR without checks, prompt or backup

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