Linux is open source and high security, How!!?

[dulajun@yahoo.com]

How can Linux OS guarantees security against viruses, also it's open source. So any person who understanding the source code can make harmful viruses if he know how Linux Kernel works and know the weaknesses points and gaps in it?
May be there aren't much viruses against Linux OS only because their are no huge users around the world comparing with Windows OS (I hope it's not true )

[oz]

Welcome to the forums!

Here's a security report that should answer most of your quesitons:

Security Report: Windows vs Linux | The Register

[dulajun@yahoo.com]

Thanks very very much, but...
I will read it later. because I little hardly read English. but want specific answer to my question that knowing the source code make it easy to find gaps in Linux.

[oz]

I little hardly read English

Sorry, but all posts here must be in English, but then I don't know how to type in any other language anyway. In addition, I don't think that I could answer your question any better than what it is in the above report.

[smolloy]

The quick answer is that open source code allows thousands of people all over the world to check the work of the original programmer. If any of those people spot a security hole, they can write to the programmer, or write a patch themselves. The number of "good" people checking the code for flaws will outnumber the "bad" people checking.

Closed source code doesn't have anyone checking outside of the original company, so virus writers can try to find flaws by trial and error. But there are no "good" people (outside the company) trying to find these flaws in order to fix them.

That's quite a simplistic view, but it gets across the idea. I encourage you to read ozar's link for more details.

[bigtomrodney]

I think the best way I can put it is that Security is not obscurity. Because source code is hidden does not mean it can't be exploited. Years of Windows viruses attest to that. If anything writing good secure code that is open to scrutiny is the only way to provide security.

[dulajun@yahoo.com]

Thanks for all. The idea is clear now.