Windows vs. Linux

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the issue of whether Windows is better than Linux, or vice versa. The paper explains that of foremost concern are the security issues and stability of the operating systems. The paper explains that security is a process, not a product. The best technology could be had but if the ones maintaining them are lackadaisical, then the implementation of information technologies has no worth, or worse, is detrimental to the enterprise. The paper concludes that whether it is Linux or Microsoft, mitigation of risks should always be foremost in mind because there will always be risks involved.

From the Paper:

"In Linux, most of the vulnerabilities discovered have something to do with the kernel. One of the vulnerabilities reported early this year is the "Linux Kernel CIFS chroot Directory Traversal Vulnerability." This Linux kernel vulnerability "could be exploited by malicious users to bypass security restrictions. This flaw is due to an input validation error when processing arguments containing backslash ("\\") characters passed to certain commands (e.g. "cd"), which could be exploited by authenticated attackers to escape chroot restrictions for a CIFS or SMBFS mounted filesystem. The vulnerability has been reported in versions prior to 2.6.16.11. (Holtmann, 2006)""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adelstein, Tom. "Security-Enhanced Linux Moving into Mainstream." LXer. (December 18, 2005), http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/50251/.
• Ambrosio, Johanna. "Is Linux Next?" Information Week. (February 6, 2006), http://www.informationweek.com/industries/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=178601674.
• Bell, Chris. How "Secure is Open Source?" Computerworld - IDG Communications New Zealand Limited. (February 27, 2006), http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/38856F521C723CC7CC25711F001106A8.
• Bradley, Tony. "SANS Top 20 Vulnerabilities." Internet/Network Security - About.com. (December 5, 2005), http://netsecurity.about.com/b/a/224715.htm.
• Broersma, Matthew. "Q: Which is better, Windows or Linux security?" TechWorld. (September 19, 2005), http://www.techworld.com/networking/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4429.

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