Is Open Source more secure than proprietary software?
There has been much debate on this subject. The truth is simple: the security of a system is defined by the quality of its design, not by the availability (or not) of source code. Keeping source code secret may look like a good strategy for security. The reasoning goes like this: if hackers cannot look at the code, they cannot exploit the design flaws. The fact is that, if the design flaws exist, they will end up being discovered whether the source code is available or not. “Security is the art of hiding in plain sight”. The secret is not to hide the method used to encrypt the data, but to make the data secure even when the encryption methods are known. Open Source advocates say open source code promotes quick discovery and remedy of design flaws and contributes for improved security. When security problems are found, both users and hackers get to know about it at the same time and users can take actions to prevent their exploit. In proprietary code, they say, users are usually the las
