[kwlug-disc] given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow?

[Khalid Baheyeldin]

On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 4:41 PM, unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca> wrote:

>
>
> john at netdirect.ca wrote, On 01/09/2010 10:08 AM:
>
>  -----kwlug-disc-bounces at kwlug.org wrote: -----
>>
>>  From: unsolicited <unsolicited at swiz.ca>
>>>
>>> I get irritated when it is claimed Linux is more secure than
>>> Windows because it doesn't get viruses. When we cannot possibly
>>> know that.
>>>
>>> Particularly when the reality is, if Linux were as popular as Windows, it
>>> would be a much greater target than it is today, and
>>> get a correspondingly larger level of viruses (which are
>>> essentially bugs / security holes).
>>>
>>
>> Compare it to neighbourhoods. Despite houses being generally alike
>> in how they can be broken into, would you rather live in a
>> neighbourhood that has a high rate of break-ins or lower rate?
>>
>
> You misunderstand me.
>
> I'm not saying Linux isn't better, I'm saying Linux has a patina on it that
> will eventually be rubbed off as more and more use it (eyeballs), and for
> people to claim that Linux will always be malware free is snake oil.
>
> And it's the snake oil that I get irritated at. Only. Full stop.
>

Most of the Windows applications require "Administrator" privileges to run.
This
makes a social engineering attack (fooling the user into clicking on an
email
attachement) automatically hose the entire system be it boot sector or
anything
above it.

Linux (and Mac OS/X too), however, almost force users NOT to run as root.
This
means a social engineering attack will only affect the user (yes, he can
lose his
files), but the system as a whole is still secure, both because Linux itself
is more
secure and because users don't run with root privileges.
-- 
Khalid M. Baheyeldin
2bits.com, Inc.
http://2bits.com
Drupal optimization, development, customization and consulting.
Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. --  Edsger W.Dijkstra
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. --   Leonardo da Vinci
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