Open Source: New security punching bag
internet.com | at | by Mike
Move over Microsoft, there's a new security punching bag in town: open source software. Security consultants at Aberdeen Group examined security advisories published by the Carnegie Mellon University Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) through October of this year. They found that nearly half of the advisories -- 16 of 29 -- affected open source software, including Linux products. Unix systems likewise were affected by 16 of the vulnerabilities for which CERT issued advisories, while only seven of them affected Microsoft products.
The CERT Coordination Center is widely recognized as a center of security expertise, and many organizations rely on its notifications of security incidents and advisories. CERT/CC issues incident notes when it receives reports from organizations that are hit with a particular virus, worm or other threat. An advisory is issued to alert users to vulnerabilities in various systems that make those systems susceptible to security breaches.