Open source blamed for malware development

[Derek Djons]

Making my daily round, reading GNU/Linux related news I found this 'funny' but oh so 'yet another' article.

This time it's McAfee who finds open source development a cause for (still windows only) malware mutations.

You can read Reg Developer's article here (http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2006/07/18/open_source_virus_development/).
To read McAfee's report, click here (https://secure.nai.com/apps/downloads/free_evaluations/survey.asp?code=MW100) (registration required).

- Source: Reg Deverloper

[Kvark]

Well yeah of course open source is the most effective development model for making malware. Just as it's the most effective model for most other software development too. No surprice here.

But this is kinda like blaming the conveyor belt model for robberies just because it's the most effective way to manufacture weapons.

[Rackerz]

I read this and laughed when I saw it.

[BWF89]

Since McAfee didn't blame Visual Basic for the creation of Visual Basic threats, such as the infamous Anna Kournikova worm, it's hardly in the position to point the finger at open source development models.
:rolleyes:

[schurtek]

yeah... the routine attack on OSI from a Propritory leader... anyone been www.againsttcpa.com

Did you know that companies such as Microsoft (shivers) and McAffee are trying to get laws past to make Open Source Illegal and the development or use there of a jailable offence.

The fat cats have had it to easy to long, and now that their existance is threatened, they stoop to playground tactics to fight back... another reason why I choose to use open source before anything else...

[Derek Djons]

By dedault it's in the nature of commercial companies to get rid of the competition. Usually large cooperations aren't shy about there methods. We have seen numerous lawsuits, anti-champagnes and what not.

In the real world there are a lot of mazes and wholes in the law. For commercial companies who are becoming scared of the competition it's the easiest way to break the competition.

This new report made by McAfee is nothing more than 'yet another' useless (registration required) very deeply hidden in their database anti-open source sheet. I find it amusing!
For years and years malware coders have been adepting to higher levels, exploring all kinds of security holes and what not. Always with success. Suddenly after already years and years of terror it's (relative speaking) baby brother 'Open Source' who's fault it is.

All those past years don't count... the problem now is 'Open Source'... yes yes! It's dangerous, it must stop. :)

Are those people grown up's or what?

[richbarna]

So really they are saying that because linux and open source is so powerful and great and makes programming easy to learn, the closed source leaky unsecure OS's can't stop malware.

12 year old linux user writes malware. 40 year old high salary proffessional programmer can't stop it. :)

[Jucato]

It's quite sad that this comes from McAfee, which I held to be slightly (just ever so slightly) more reliable than Microsoft. I can understand their insecurity, though. AVG and ClamAV are becoming cheaper and sometimes equally efficient alternatives to their products, so it's quite natural that they would try to "discredit" their competition, in one way or another.

But one thing sort of amuses me. It's the thought that "open source principles" increase/affect the development of malware. What, pray tell, are those "principles" that help these malware developers? Is it "openness" or "sharing"? Isn't it the closed/selfish principles of proprietary software that have actually encouraged these malware developers, since their code would not be so easily detected and removed? And do they really think that these malware developers actually follow the true spirit of free/open source? C'mon! If they broke the rules of closed source software, what makes McAfee think they'll play by the rules/principles of open source?

Probably the McAfee report would have more details, but since it's not open to anyone who doesn't register, it's quite hard to verify that. I'm not going to register with them just feed my curiosity.

[G Morgan]

The article is a huge misnomer. What they are claiming is actually that Unix style programming is being used to develop malware. True the same principles are used a lot by OSS developers but they didn't invent them and the models have been around since the 70's so are nothing new.