Is open-source software secure?
A common charge against open source is that it is inherently insecure because as the source code is readily available, anyone can scrutinise it to look for bugs and vulnerabilities in both the design and coding. This is true in that with source code availability one can study the code and try to exploit any weaknesses found. The flip-side to this is that it also enables anyone who wishes, to flush out weaknesses in the design and coding thereby discovering the vulnerabilities before the attackers and making the software more secure. Source code availability also has many other advantages like enabling vulnerability fixes and/or workarounds without waiting for the code authors and independent checks and audits of the software code. It should also be noted that the inavailability of source code does not prevent the discovery of vulnerabilities. Modern debugging and software development tools can be used to monitor and even disassemble and reverse-engineer the executables to look for bugs
