Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Open-Source Software Takes Lead as Major Source of Security Flaws

    By
    Dennis Fisher
    -
    December 2, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Thanks to several high-profile vulnerabilities and an overall increase in the number of flaws this year, open-source software has taken over Microsoft Corp.s position at the bottom of the security heap.

      A research note from two analysts at Aberdeen Group Inc. issued last month calls open-source software and Linux distributions the “2002 poster children for security problems.” Of the 29 advisories issued through October by the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, 16 have addressed vulnerabilities in open-source or Linux products.

      Seven of the advisories are related to Microsoft products, the Boston-based research company reports.

      “Open-source software is now the major source of elevated security vulnerabilities for IT buyers,” the Aberdeen report says. “The poster child for security glitches is no longer Microsoft; this label now belongs to open-source and Linux software suppliers.”

      This data seems to contradict the commonly held belief that open-source software is more secure than proprietary products. Advocates of the open-source process often claim that their products are more secure due to the larger number of people poring over the code, looking for vulnerabilities and bugs.

      However, many security experts find fault with that argument. The fact is, they say, neither one is inherently more secure than the other; it all comes down to the skill with which the code is written and audited.

      “Unless theres a great deal of discipline underlying the development, theres no difference in the security. Open source is not inherently more secure,” said Peter Neumann, principal scientist at SRI International, in Menlo Park, Calif., and a security and networking expert. “If everyone has the same bad skills, all the eyeballs in the world wont help you. Unless theres discipline, you still come up with garbage.”

      However, the CERT statistics dont necessarily tell the whole story. CERT does not issue an advisory for every new vulnerability. It tends only to focus on the high-risk issues that are likely to affect a broad base of users, such as the flaw in OpenSSL, which was later used to spread the Slapper worm.

      Microsoft officials said the report highlights how far the industry as a whole has to go in addressing the security of its products.

      “This demonstrates that as an industry we have a lot of work to do in security,” said Mike Nash, vice president of the Security Business Unit at Microsoft, in Redmond, Wash. “Microsoft has come a long way in the past 12 months, but the most important thing to realize is that this is very much an industry issue. Our goal is to make sure the number of vulnerabilities found outside of Microsoft is as low as possible. But theres also the issue of how quickly we respond to issues once theyre found, and I think weve done a good job at that.”

      Dennis Fisher

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×