A Safer Place to Be

Back when I used Windows exclusively, I was acutely aware of the dangers that viruses and worms posed. In fact, one of the first things I did on every computer I used was to install anti-virus software.

Now, more than half a year after switching to Linux at home and Mac OS X at the office, I’ve yet to encounter a single virus on either platform, despite running both without any kind of software protection.

The old Windows user in me wonders: Am I being reckless?

The numbers say the odds are in my favor, at least for now. There are far fewer Linux viruses and those that exist have caused very little real damage.

In a November 2005 interview with Computerworld Hong Kong, security expert Mikko Hyppönen says there are over 140,000 viruses for Windows and only 30 for Linux. None exist for Mac OS X, he says.

Is this a matter of superior software design or simply a matter of market reality?

The conventional wisdom—a view I accepted for many years—is that there are more Windows viruses simply because there are more users on that platform. People who write viruses want the biggest bang for their buck, so they target the most popular operating system. And viruses written for Windows, like any other programs, will not run on Mac OS X or Linux.

The follow-on argument to this dominant-platform theory is that if Mac OS X or Linux became as popular as Windows, you’d see more viruses written for them as well.

But months spent using both operating systems have convinced me that this isn’t necessarily so.

Because Mac OS X and Linux are both based on Unix, they work on a system of permissions that allow only the administrator—also called the root—to change things on a system. In practical terms, that means you must enter the administrator’s password every time you want to install software—and that includes accidentally installing a virus or worm you downloaded from the Internet.

In contrast, Windows users have been accustomed to running as the administrator by default for years and expect to be able to download and install software on any personal computer they use. I know. I used to be one of them.

Unfortunately, this setup makes it devastatingly easy for careless users to unwittingly install viruses or spyware on their computers.

Windows Vista is supposed to address this problem with its own system of permissions and by encouraging people not to log in as administrators. Only time will tell, however, if end-users-- especially those at home or in small offices--will heed this advice or simply keep doing what they’ve been doing since Windows 3.1.

Related to this concept of permissions, both Mac OS X and Linux keep their system files separate from applications and user data and require administrator privileges to change them. On the Mac, in fact, the system files are hidden by default, making it difficult for ordinary users to mess up the operating system. On a Windows PC, the operating system, the applications and the user data aren’t kept apart and even non-administrators can add system files that could do serious damage.

In an article for The Register, Scott Granneman argues that even if Linux were to become the dominant desktop platform and if Mac OS X continued to grow, these operating systems would never experience all the problems with e-mail borne viruses in the Microsoft world.

“Virus writers use social engineering to convince people to do stupid things, like open attachments that carry viruses and worms,” he writes. “Poorly designed software makes it easier for social engineering to take place… Together, the two factors can turn a single virus incident into a widespread disaster.”

In Windows, it’s easy to run an executable program, Granneman says, noting how simple it is for users to click on an e-mail attachment to run a virus or worm disguised as a steamy screensaver. In contrast, a Linux user would have to save the attachment, give it executable permissions, and then run it. Every extra step is added protection.

Of course, just because an e-mail-attached virus won’t run on a Linux or Mac system doesn’t mean you can’t pass it on and infect other Windows users. But that problem is probably better handled on the level of mail servers, anyway.

For now, I’m convinced that I won’t need any anti-virus software on my iBook or my Linux PC, despite what McAfee or other vendors of such products say. This doesn’t mean I can afford to be careless or reckless because there is no perfectly safe operating system. Prudence dictates that I make sure I download and install software only from trusted sources, be careful about typing in my password and take other sensible precautions. After all, security is a process, not a product.

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

From Digital Life by Chin Wong www.chinwong.com Chin Wong has been covering the technology industry since the 1980s, starting as a reporter for Business Day, Southeast Asia’s first daily business newspaper. He is now a lecturer in journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and associate editor for the Manila Standard Today. Before that, he also served as technology editor of the Manila Times until October 2004.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated