Open source advocates are upset after the recent mi2g's study: open source systems expose to more attacks than Microsoft.

A number of security experts are questioning the findings of a report from mi2g which names Linux the "most breached" operating system. The report is based on an examination of over 235,000 successful attacks against computers permanently connected to the Internet from November 2003 through October 2004. The study found that Linux accounted for 65% of breaches, with Windows coming in second at 25%. Open source advocate Bruce Perens criticizes the report for not factoring in the main problem, automatic virus attacks, which even the report admits have greater economic impact on Windows systems. Linux servers running Apache account for nearly 64% of web servers. Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group, notes that mi2g's methodology on a number of previous studies has been questionable, and describes the recent study as more of a media event than a serious investigation. The study found BSD and Apple's Mac OS X as the most secure operating systems with less than 5% of breaches each; however, both systems have few users, and BSD users in particular tend to be highly competent. The report may indicate that widely deployed systems with poorly trained users a more vulnerable, Mr. Enderle argued, adding that results should be normalized based on skills and usage. By Internetweek.