Linux Security Strong As Ever

Source: ZDNet

Linux security is as strong as ever, despite recent statistics that say otherwise. Perhaps in response to the excessive publicity given to the strong security associated with Linux and open source software, it's no surprise that a number of commentators are making a high-profile argument that Linux, just like every other platform, does indeed have security issues. Members of the open source community have always known that Linux is not immune from security threats, so there is no argument there. What is in question is the final conclusion that these commentators are drawing, which is that Linux is less secure than Microsoft Windows.
Almost all Linux professionals are also Unix professionals, many of whom have been dealing with online security threats for over 20 years. Remember, the Unix community (and subsequently the Linux community) is the group that first created and still forms the backbone of the Internet. This community was dealing with serious security threats, like the Internet (i.e., Morris) Worm, before Windows NT even existed. Unix users know network and host security inside and out and were the first to implement almost all the intrusion-detection, perimeter-defense, and security-analysis technologies that our industry uses today. Linux/Unix is not invincible from security threats, it's true; but this group has spent the last 20-plus years ensuring that Linux/Unix is more secure than any other system.