[Am-info] Linux vs. Windows Viruses

[Mitch Stone]

http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/188

Linux vs. Windows Viruses

To mess up a Linux box, you need to work at it; to mess up your Windows 
box, you just need to work on it.

By Scott Granneman Oct 02 2003 10:59AM PT

We've all heard it many times when a new Microsoft virus comes out. In 
fact, I've heard it a couple of times this week already. Someone on a 
mailing list or discussion forum complains about the latest in a long 
line of Microsoft email viruses or worms and recommends others consider 
Mac OS X or Linux as a somewhat safer computing platform. In response, 
another person named, oh, let's call him "Bill," says, basically, "How 
ridiculous! The only reason Microsoft software is the target of so many 
viruses is because it is so widely used! Why, if Linux or Mac OS X was 
as popular as Windows, there would be just as many viruses written for 
those platforms!"

Of course, it's not just "regular folks" on mailing lists who share 
this opinion. Businesspeople have expressed similar attitudes ... 
including ones who work for anti-virus companies. Jack Clarke, European 
product manager at McAfee, said, "So we will be seeing more Linux 
viruses as the OS becomes more common and popular."

Mr. Clarke is wrong.

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