When the root is the problem It goes without saying that as
multi-child parents raise their kids, they learn more with each
child. The same is true with developers within the open source
community. Since the early days when UNIX was free, with
developer tools readily available, open source developers
feasted on each other's creativity and work ethic. Now, some
20-plus years later, the growth of Linux, like a younger
sibling, is turning heads. As Linux matures, vulnerabilities are
found, and as attacks grow on the operating system, the question
that needs to be answered is: can it cope? According to the
Aberdeen Group and others, Microsoft does not have the worst
track record when it comes to security vulnerabilities. About
one out of every two CERT security advisories this year was for
open source and Linux software. In the fight against malicious
code writers, the open source community is at a disadvantage –
no single company is responsible for security patches when
vulnerabilities arise. High-profile securi