Forwarded from: "Robert G. Ferrell" <rferrellat_private> At 01:41 AM 11/14/02 -0600, InfoSec News wrote: >Sachs said there has been a longstanding myth that >open source technologies are safer than proprietary systems >because their design can be improved by anyone who wants >to examine them. The Slapper worm is helping to dispel that >notion, he said. The only myth that needs dispelling around here is that monolithic proprietary software vendors have any economic incentive to improve their security. Open Source never claimed to be bullet-proof, but the statement here that proprietary software is somehow less susceptible to security flaws is flatly contradicted by the simplest observable statistics. Look up the number of serious vulnerabilities in any given proprietary product over the past year and compare that to the number discovered in any comparable Open Source offering. I think you'll find that the assertion that Open Source is 'safer' is still quite valid. This is just another subtle piece of mudslinging by folks in the upper echelons of government who are dedicated to helping Microsoft and other proprietary vendors maintain their iron grip on the industry. It's not as though we haven't been through this before (Standard Oil, U. S. Steel, ad nauseum). Those who cannot remember the past are (obviously) condemned to repeat it. RGF Robert G. Ferrell rferrellat_private http://rferrell.home.texas.net/rgflit.html "Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim." --Santayana - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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