Cover Image
QR Code

Is Open Source Security a Myth?

The article presents the results of a study which investigated the vulnerabilities and security patches of 17 open source and closed source software packages. It found that vendor policy was more significant for security than the difference between open and closed source. The Linux and Microsoft Win...

Full description

Published in:Communications of the ACM Vol. 54; no. 5; pp. 130 - 141
Main Author: Schryen, Guido
Format: Article
Published: Association for Computing Machinery May2011
Subjects:
Computer security
Open source software
Computer software
Data protection
Data security
Computer operating systems
Software architecture
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=60863987&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: hlh
    uiTerm: 60863987
    longDbName: Humanities International Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00010782
        ACM
      jtl: Communications of the ACM
      issn: 00010782
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: May2011
      vid: 54
      iid: 5
      pid: 68
      pub: Association for Computing Machinery
    artinfo:
      ui:
        60863987
        10.1145/1941487.1941516
      ppf: 130
      ppct: 11
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Is Open Source Security a Myth?
      aug:
        au: Schryen, Guido
        affil: Professor of information systems, University of Regensburg, Germany.
      su:
        Computer security
        Open source software
        Computer software
        Data protection
        Data security
        Computer operating systems
        Software architecture
      sug:
        subj:
          Computer security
          Open source software
          Computer software
          Data protection
          Data security
          Computer operating systems
          Software architecture
      ab: The article presents the results of a study which investigated the vulnerabilities and security patches of 17 open source and closed source software packages. It found that vendor policy was more significant for security than the difference between open and closed source. The Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems are among the software packages discussed. It is argued that economic incentives for software producers to provide patches and avoid vulnerabilities are an important factor in computer security.
      pubtype: Periodical
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: Y
      dt:
        @attributes:
          year: 2011
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N