Question Regarding Ubuntu Linux Security vis-a-vis other O.S.s

[Craig Younkins]

>
> "The very first computer worm affected Unix exclusively, and Linux machines
> are particularly easy to penetrate -- MUCH easier than Vista boxes -- when
> you know how to do it - especially since its all open source code which
> makes it easier to hack!"


Short answer: No, you don't have much to worry about.

What type of attack?
- Network based attack: Ubuntu ships with no open ports, unlike Windows. How
do you attack a machine without any open ports?
- Browser based attack: First, there must be an exploit in the browser, so
it depends on the browser. Firefox is a lot more secure than IE. After
exploitation of the browser, the attacker has privileges of the running
user, bringing me to...
- Any attack: To do something serious on a *nix machine, you need root
access. To sudo, this requires the user's password. On XP, the default user
is administrator, who can do serious damage to the system.

As for the "open source" comment - this guy seems to think that you can hack
anything where the source code is known. Of course, this is completely
false. The most secure systems are open so that many people can *try* and
break it. Researchers analyze open security systems to find bugs and
possible, even theoretical exploits. There are many many bugs in
closed-source software.

Consider this - In closed-source software, there is very little
incentive/motivation to close security holes. Who's gonna know?

--

Craig Younkins
Mobile: (301) 520-0463
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On Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 4:26 PM, Nathan Bahn <nathan.bahn at gmail.com> wrote:

> Attention all--
> In this forum<
> http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/08/snow_leopards_anti-malware_fea.html?hpid=news-col-blog
> >a
> user states that, "Linux machines are particularly easy to
> penetrate...."
> How concerned should I be about Linux malware?
> --N.B.
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