Linux malware festering since 2009: reviewing the impact
Apparently the folks who maintain the UnrealIRC [it's an IRC server - Internet Relay Chat - for gabbing it up with your friends] just noticed that they’ve had remote control software included in the distribution since 2009 and didn’t notice until just now. Whoops.Apparently the infected software got picked up by at least one major distribution for inclusion in the default package...
Read MoreOpen Source: Look it up in your gut
There’s an interesting reader response on Network World today about an IT shop where the administrators aren’t allowed to use open source software. Apparently, due to “security concerns”, users aren’t allowed to use open source software. The article itself is ultimately a dodge, in that it points out anecdotal reasons for open source being more secure (using...
Read MoreMusings on open source security, malware, and vulnerabilities
So welcome back from the break! I hope you all had a great new year, and a good season. So, to kick us off on a new season, I came across an article today talking about the biggest threat to open source security for 2009. In case you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, the point of the article is basically that “most open source lacks update services” and that that...
Read More“Wide open” means extra security
As you may or may not remember, last week I commented that I think we need to rethink whether open source is or is not de facto more secure; if I had but waited a few days to go there, I could have used this article as an example of the kind of think I’m referring to. The article, originally from Infoworld, basically makes a case for why open source security tools are more popular than...
Read MoreHow is Security like Bread Mold?
Did you know that for quite a long time, individuals believed that living creatures could just magically appear out of thin air? It’s true. Up until the middle ages, folks believed that things like mold, maggots (ewww), and mice would just “pop” into existance from other substances like rotting meat and old bread. The theory was called Spontaneous Generation, and if you...
Read MoreTuesday September 7, 2010
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