Does Open Source Encourage Rootkits?

An anonymous reader writes "NetworkWorld reports that security vendor McAfee places the blame for increased numbers of rootkits squarely on the shoulders of the open source community. Others, however, do not agree. From the article: 'Rootkit.com's 41,533 members do post rootkit source code anonymously, then discuss and share the open source code. But it's naïve to say the Web site exists for malicious purposes, contends Greg Hoglund, CEO of security firm HBGary and operator of Rootkit. "It's there to educate people," says Hoglund [...] It's a great resource for anti-virus companies and others. Without it, they'd be far behind in their understanding of rootkits."'"

Comments

Semantics

[caffeination]

The linked article and the Slashdot summary twist McAffee's report to invoke images of someone blaming the likes of KDE for the existence of rootkits, which is misleading. They are in fact blaming increasing effectiveness on the fact that people are collaborating. If anything it's a glowing advert for the Open Source development model.

Also, the majority of the article is not about this issue, despite it being both the title and the Slashdot title. Instead, it's about current trends in rootkit design.