Is Windows safer than Linux?
p2pnet.net News:- Two US researchers compared a similarly set-up Windows Server 2003 and Red Hat Enterprise Server 3 running databases, scripting engines and Web servers (Microsoft’s on one, the open source Apache on the other).
The result?
The Windows server was more secure.
So says the Seattle Times, quoting a presentation at the RSA Conference of computer-security professionals in “Security Showdown: Windows vs. Linux.”
One of the researchers is a Linux fan running an open-source server at home, and the other is a Microsoft enthusiast, says the story.
Apparently, “They wanted to cut through the near-religious arguments about which system is better from a security standpoint.”
“I actually was wrong,” Florida Institute of Technology computer-science professor Richard Ford says in the story.
“The results are very surprising, and there are going to be some people who are skeptical,” said Ford, who likes Linux.
The results also prompted Tony Lock of Britain’s The Register to observe:
“Using Linux is itself no guarantee of ‘security’. The same is true for all operating systems. Each platform needs to be managed actively. Bugs, viruses and other malicious threats to a system will occur. This is why it is vital that every IT system be supported with excellent management procedures to ensure its long term availability and security. Technology alone is never ’secure’.
“However, there are no obvious security issues visible today to indicate that Linux is not ready for enterprise deployment. The code base is managed by all of the distributors and enjoys the active backing of many of the largest IT vendors. Security and Linux may be a myth, but no more so than for any other operating system. A Linux platform needs to be managed in the same way as any other. However, at the moment, the number of threat notices that the operating system attracts every day is relatively small.
”Linux does have an active role to play in business and the platform continues to mature rapidly on all levels, including security. Is it perfect today? No. Is it perfectly secure? No. But then no operating system available today is perfectly secure, although zOS on the IBM mainframe gets pretty close. Is Linux ‘Security’ A Myth? Yes, but then all ’security’ is a myth; people and processes secure systems, not technology alone. However, Linux is usable, relatively secure and enjoys support enough to allow its use in mainstream business where appropriate.
“Oh, and it is being used.”
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
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See:-
more secure - Study finds Windows more secure than Linux, Seattle Times, February 17, 2005
no guarantee – Is Linux security a myth?, The Register, p2pnet, January 19, 2005
February 17th, 2005 at 3:55 pm
For some users Windows may be more secure, but for Linux users who use software I write, it is not. It is not that I am any smarter than a cracker, it is because a cracker is not going to spend time researching and writing custome code just to get at my measely 200 users. I love Linux, and I use it all the time. As of this date, I have never been hacked or have had trojan software installed on my system. If it ever happens that I start to be repeatedly plagued by malware while using Linux, I will simply switch to another operating system. This problem occurs with Windows, so I do not use it unless forced to.
February 17th, 2005 at 4:07 pm
IIS is a can of worms, its why like 70% of the net runs on Apache.
February 17th, 2005 at 7:43 pm
You cannot just say X is more secure than Y.
Every situation is different.
Security concerns are pratical matters which constantly evolve and change.
The needs of each user, operator, owner or creator of systems are different.
Lumping all these concerns into the magical word “security” is disingenuous at best.
Ultimately linux has the _potential_ to be more secure because you can modify and adjust every piece of software running on a free (libre) linux distribution by changing the source code.
It is the _choice_ to make your system what you need that is crucial.
The remainder is just a matter of proper implementation.
February 17th, 2005 at 11:19 pm
Doesn’t microsoft own the “Seattle Times”?
The real point should probably be that linux is safer for the average user because most people are using M$. If more average users started using linux more people would start praying on them too. As far as servers go most people aren’t running one so they wont care which is safer.
February 18th, 2005 at 4:06 pm
Its only safer because the mass general public, say hackers, go after what is popular. I cant wait till everyone thinks we can fix the security problem when like someone like China switches over to Linux, and then the hackers go after that. Fact of the matter is computers will never be secure.
February 18th, 2005 at 8:49 pm
Um, well I’d guess Micro$oft paid well for this report.
A fully patched Micro$oft box is safe? Um, well lets put my response like this – it takes MSoft months to release MOST updates – it takes the *nix community hours/days to patch their holes and make the patches public…. Any good network admin will tell you that if there’s a hole on their windows box – and no patches avail that they’re just laid out to the wind until M$oft feels like releasing a patch… In the *nix community, a problem is mentioned and BAM its fixed in hours/days not months.
There’s security like bill gates has going to and from work and there’s security like his operating system… if his personal security was as bad as his operating system, he’d be afraid to leave his house…. lol (*no I dont want anything to happen to him sheesh, but my point is, if his personal security depended on windows he’d be running *nix instead*)
Just my 10 cents…
_-Jile-_
February 19th, 2005 at 10:24 pm
“”Um, well I’d guess Micro$oft paid well for this report. “”
LOL… This was my inital thought as soon as i saw “The Seattle Times” in this article.
No OS is perfectly secure.
However, if you’d like to compare stability between these two OSes, I’m pretty sure that everyone knows which is better. For those who don’t, I’ll spell it out for you:
L I N U *
Fill in the blank =P