Linux developers report few breaches

Ninety-two percent of the 500 Linux developers surveyed in July by market-research firm Evans Data indicated that their Linux systems have never been infected with a virus.

Additionally, 78 percent said their Linux systems had never been hacked and less than seven percent were hacked three or more times. Of the 22 percent that were hacked, 23 percent of the breaches were internal users with valid log-in IDs, the survey showed.

The main ways Linux systems can be compromised are inadequately configured security settings, vulnerability in internet services and web server flaws, according to Evans Data.

"The reasons for the greater inherent security of the Linux OS are simple," Nicholas Petreley, Evans Data's Linux analyst, said in a prepared statement. "More eyes on the code means that less slips by and the OS is naturally going to be more secured."

www.evansdata.com