[ubuntu-za] Karma vs Windows 7 [sic]

[Jan Groenewald]

Hi Corrie

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 07:30:08AM +0200, Corrie Strydom wrote:
>    I think its also more a case of safe-browsing, Linux users are more
>    internet savvy than most, I take the "ladies" here at work, they want to
>    click and run each and every email attachment they get, or browse to
>    verrry dubius sites.

Thanks for your input.

The statement makes a very dubious generalisation about gender, if not
about linux security. Certainly user behaviour causes more problems
than linux, kernel-related, or base system vulnerabilities.

I wouldn't want lurkers to think the community condones 
this stance with regards to gender though. While the world, IT,
and Linux is often male dominated, one cannot logically reduce
this to a cause of insecurity.

If any social analysis applies, gender diversity brings more
safety as any diversity does to a complex system. Then again,
women are better drivers -- ask the insurance companies. If one
modelled and insured computer usage, one might even find similar
trends.

One male megalomaniac system administrator (apparantly quite common,
called the 'god complex') does more damage to a network than
many non-savvy users, whose actions would be isolated on a network
with sound security policies.

Perhaps this thread has run it's course and should either die
or evolve into proper documentation on the wiki.

Over 7 years of 100 desktops and 10 servers, all 5 incidents
I experienced have been isolated and due to human error, not
system vulnerabilities. Even though I don't work with Windows,
some laptops pass through, and the 5 incidents *per year* have 
all required full re-installs of the base system. I believe
that to be due to the better Linux design and modularity.

regards,
Jan