Last July 16th a security specialist working on open source security servers by the name of Brad Spengler disclosed through a security mailing list, a flaw in the Linux kernel 2.6.30. Basically, what he discovered is a hole in the kernel of the linux operating system that will lay useless the defenses and security layers built into linux. So why the title?
Security for computers is not a product, it is a process. All systems can be hacked. No system is perfect. When flaws are discovered in Linux, they are published for all the community to check and see. The community comes up with solutions and patches in record time.
Last June 30th the open source browser, Firefox, was released to the public. Very soon, someone published a flaw in the code. Before the week is over, Mozilla released an updated version of Firefox to fix the flaw. The fix also came from the community.
Is this situation better than what Microsoft is doing? Well, would you like to wait until Patch Tuesday to get your computer security fixed? And why is it that Microsoft operating systems are the only operating system in the world that needs a third party security software so it can survive the internet? Tell me why do I need a third party firewall when XP already has a built in firewall? What does it say about your product when a completely new range of business is born to address it's flaws?
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