Installing linux/15/en

Security

I don’t think any operating system is ever “secure”. A particular configuration of an operating system has a particular degree of resistance to particular types of attacks. Linux and M$ products are not easy to compare but some general statements are regularly made:

• Windows is more difficult to "strip down" than Linux systems.
• Viruses are less of a threat on linux. This also applies to spyware, malware, etc.

And some theories posed:

• Theory 1: Because linux is not owned by a corporation, it can explore the security goal more fully than a corporation can. Businesses must make money; while free software groups simply don’t have this restriction. Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (2003) and When Free Software Isn’t Better (2010) kindly dispelled this theory.
• Theory 2: Because the linux kernel code, and many of its drivers and utilities are free, it has likely been reviewed and fixed frequently for coding mistakes that can lead to remote vulnerabilities that a hacker can exploit. This then prevents backdoors.

The shellshock vulnerability will still be found in unpatched systems for the foreseeable future—though the odds of it directly impacting our local machines appear slim if using standard security precautions. If scary or seemingly too complex get a local geek to help you with that or hit the respective forums.