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The World's Safest Operating System

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the torturing-the-data-until-it-confesses dept.

fredrikr writes "UK-based security firm mi2g has analyzed 17,074 successful digital attacks against servers and networks. The results are a bit surprising. The BSD OSes (including FreeBSD and Mac OS X) proved to be the systems least likely to be successfully cracked, while Linux servers were the most vulnerable. Linux machines suffered 13,654 successful attacks, or 80 percent of the survey total. Windows based servers enjoyed a sharp decline in successful breaches, with only 2,005 attacks."

17 of 1,014 comments (clear)

  1. Of course by damiam · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why would anyone want to crack a Windows box? It'd be completely useless to you.

    --
    It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
  2. Consider the source by ABaumann · · Score: 4, Funny

    MACWORLD says that MACS are the most secure. Hmm... Interesting.

  3. And in unrelated news by redmond · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft announces acquition of the UK-based security firm mi2g.

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    :wq
  4. Re:easy way to fix linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hey! How did you get my root password? I thought it was hashed pretty securely.

  5. No, VMS, Multics, and VIC-20 are more secure by plcurechax · · Score: 4, Funny

    With no reported vulnrenabilities according to mi2g, these OSes are far more secure than that run of mill *BSD stuff.

  6. They are wrong... by Bull999999 · · Score: 4, Funny

    My Play Station 2 has never been hacked so it makes PS2 the most secure O/S.

    --
    1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
  7. Re:What if Windows were found most vulnerable? by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oooooh...

    cabal of liars that masquerade as "researchers" does not alter the facts.

    I love that word. Cabal. You see it so rarely in everyday life. I'm going to start using it more.

  8. Re:Fun and games with statistics by SenorMooCow · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...wasted on time you could have been patching Linux.

    I don't believe that the majority of the linux hacks were due to flaws in the operating system as much as they were probably caused by misconfigurations by the people setting up those systems. Windows, on the other hand, comes with lots of holes built right in for you; no user intervention required!

    --
    I run a Debian/Kernel/Knoppix Mirror: (http|ftp|rsync)://debian.ams.sunysb.edu/
    apt-get @ > 5MBps == teh win!
  9. Re:Overt vs Covert by canajin56 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmmm, lets do some in-depth research of our own, then: Slashdot poll!

    The last thing I hacked was:

    • *BSD
    • Linux
    • OSX
    • Windows
    • Unix
    • Teh Gibson!

    I'm sure it would be at least as accurate ;)

    --
    ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
  10. And what server do THEY use? by johndeerejedi · · Score: 3, Funny

    Did anyone bother to Netcraft www.mi2g.net?

    Apache/1.3.28 (Unix) FrontPage/5.0.2.2510 on Linux

  11. Re:Fun and games with statistics by ZigiSamblak · · Score: 5, Funny

    You got it all wrong, there's no problems or hacks in Windows. Coming pre-hacked is a feature!

  12. Re:Fun and games with statistics by Brandybuck · · Score: 3, Funny

    Not at all! All we need is an operating system that is too difficult for any MCSE to use, but still easy enough for the average chimpanzee or kindergarten dropout.

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    Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
  13. Re:Overt vs Covert by TMB · · Score: 5, Funny

    The last thing I hacked was Cowboy Neal.

  14. Re:Why is this a surprise? by WebMasterJoe · · Score: 4, Funny
    clue_bat.apply(linux_users)
    Ok, you can't make fun of "Linux zealots" if you end you slashdot posts with pseudo function calls. The girls in gym class are really going to kick your ass in dodgeball for this next Monday.
    --
    I really hate signatures, but go to my website.
  15. Re:Overt vs Covert by ted_nugent · · Score: 5, Funny

    You stay out of Cowboy Neal's backdoor!

    --

    Free the West Memphis Three!

  16. shocking by leek · · Score: 3, Funny
    The results are a bit surprising.

    Quite frankly I was shocked to see that OpenBSD was so secure. I was certain Linux was the most secure OS.

  17. Re:Overt vs Covert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ladies and gentlemen, the end of the world has arrived. Debian has been criticised because it's too easy to install. :)