Ubuntu desktop-is it secure?

nudist

Is linux on the whole more secure than windows. Discuss.

Improbable

Yes.

/thread

Saganist

nudist wrote: »

Is linux on the whole more secure than windows. Discuss.

No question to be answered here :-)

2ygb4cmqetsjhx

simple answer. yes

TheUsual

I have Ubuntu saved on my external drive but I don't use it for anything really.

Yes viruses and spyware seem to be written for Windows , maybe because they are the most popular or bacause hackers hate Bill Gates. I don't know.

Would I trust Ubuntu to pay Visa Card details and banking stuff without worrying ? No.
Use Ubuntu but join some forums just to check for the safest way to use it without being hacked. I have been hacked once with Windows in my life but have inceased my security since.

Eliot Rosewater

Why Linux is more secure than Windows.

TheUsual wrote: »

Would I trust Ubuntu to pay Visa Crad details and banking stuff without worrying ? No.

Are you not using Firefox or Chrome on both Windows and Ubuntu?

Capt'n Midnight

nudist wrote: »

Is linux on the whole more secure than windows. Discuss.

is this a assignment you were supposed to write your self

what research have you done your self

what do you use it for ?

most desktops are relatively secure, the problems start when you leave the desktop to use browsers and stuff

Naikon

By convention, any Operating System that isn't Windows is more secure than Windows. This can be put down to user hostilic/system friendly design vs user friendly/system hostilic design(ActiveX - I am talking to you). Of course, no OS is truely secure, so just use common sense when required. Minimise daemons running in the background, harden your firewall rules, minimise common exploit techniques by installing system hardening Access control lists, implement least privilege protections for memory pages/randomized memory address space layout (ala Linux PaX), and NEVER use password authentication for ssh and the like. Key based authentication is gold. You need to keep up to date with software patches. You don't need "Antivirus" software.

the_real_dave

Ubuntu and Linux/Unix in general is more secure than Windows due to the fact that viruses and malware target Windows systems, for the majority. That said, there are a few viruses for Mac OS, and even one or two for Linux OSes.

This lower number is not caused by a lower market share as for some think, seeing as the majority of servers globally run Linux/Unix OSes, but rather by measures that are integrated into the kernel and software core.

Strict user permissions is one of these things, and proper user setup are one of these things, things which were are comparatively still are incredibly lax in Windows OSes. UAC was a step forward for Windows security wise (one back in user experience though), and to be fair, Windows is at least making an effort to clean up some of it's mistakes, seeing as competition is definitely heating up.

Some vulnerabilities are universal, these generally exist in user level applications such as Chrome, Firefox, Flash or Java. That said, often vulnerabilities that effect Windows in this way, effect Linux/Unix system to a lesser extent.

Some common sense security measures apply to all OSes. Have a read of this (with the knowledge that it's from 07)

Johnboy1951

nudist wrote: »

Is linux on the whole more secure than windows. Discuss.

Yes as an operating system.

The user Desktop and files are only as secure as the user's habits.

Doesn't really matter what OS you use, if you are silly/stupid/whatever you will eventually succeed in compromising your PC.

An example of a cross platform 'baddie' ...
http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Koobface-Variant-Infects-Linux-too-163450.shtml