The Register

Linux and Unix experienced more than three times as many reported security vulnerabilities (2,328) than Windows (812), according to the mighty US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) annual year-end security index.

Seems there is a real need to reconsider a few evidences of the IT industry. But:

Despite posting fewer vulnerabilities […], it is attacks on Windows that still cause more concern and generate most headlines.

The reason is that […] Windows has greater potential to cause harm because of its presence on desktops in the hands of users who receive self-propagating worms, click on email attachments and download malicious code. And while it seems just as each hole is fixed, a new vulnerability is unlocked elsewhere in the vast Windows code base.®

If Windows is 3 times safer but also 1000 times more common than Linux it becomes the most dangerous system in absolute terms. Statistics. Is the spread of an OS its worse enemy? Probably. I once heard someone wishing Apple would never make it big so that “OSx could remain unattractive for hackers”.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 20th, 2006 at 11:31 am and is filed under security, english. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.