Why Linux Security Will Succeed

[mea culpa <jericho () DIMENSIONAL COM>]

http://linux.com/security/newsitem.phtml?sid=11&aid=6702

Why Linux Security Will Succeed
by Brian Martin - Sun, 30 Jan 2000 03:07:49pm

There is no subtlety in the race to gain the exalted title of having the
most secure operating system. Both sides of the virtual fence argue their
preferred operating system is more secure by default installation. More
often than not, these OS bigots spend more time knocking the other
contenders down rather than arguing the strengths of their own OS. Some
fanatics argue that their OS can be made more secure in the long run. When
one is fighting a losing battle, shooting holes in the other side is often
more effective than boasting of your own merits. In the war between Linux
and its rivals, Linux is in a position to stand on its own positive
features, and it does it well.

Nothing to Hide

A longtime trendsetter in the Open Source movement, Linux continues to
bare all to friends and foes alike. Every day thousands of hobbyists and
developers fiddle with every part of the operating system, finding new
ways to improve on it. Some of this results in small fixes to make parts
of the system more effecient. Others streamline the code while adding new
features that allow more flexibility, while some fix bugs left by
predecessors in a day where security was barely an issue. The key here is
that anyone who has the whim or desire to scrutinize or improve the
current code base can do just that. By offering the full source code to
every piece of the operating system, linux developers around the world are
putting their work on trial. With thousands of critical eyes, it stands to
reason that any such bugs will be ferreted out in no time.

On the other hand, closed source operating systems hide their foundation
from the world, relying on security via obscurity to prevent
vulnerabilities from being discovered and exploited. These closed source
systems appear to be developed by companies more concerned with profit
margins than secure and stable operating platforms. These Operating
Systems tend to be written by programmers with the primary goal of making
a sizeable salary, rather than the herds of developers working on open
source operating systems for the love of the work.

[snip..]

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