14 DAY TRIAL // I have recently come across a top three put together by a veteran of IT security that categorized Mac OS X, Windows XP (there is no mention of Windows Vista) and Linux according to the level of security each operating system is delivering. While the comparison is not done according to a structured methodology, but instead seems more a sum of subjective conclusions, the final ranking reflects the reality, with Mac OS X and Linux ahead of Windows XP. I don't think that there is anyone that considers Windows XP safer than Mac OS X and Linux, it's just common sense, but that would certainly be an argument that I would need to hear.
However, his comparison is not the subject of this article. The question in the title is. When will either Mac OS X or Linux become the most insecure operating systems on the market. Well, while browsing, I came across a very interesting comment made by Eric Chien, Symantec Security Response Engineer on an unrelated subject.
"One of the principles behind malware is that it follows technology and mainstream culture. If ninety percent of the world was using the EricOS, the vast majority of threats would be designed to run on the EricOS because otherwise the threat would have nothing to infect," Eric Chien said.
Thus the answer to my question. The code in Mac OS X and Linux is just as prone to vulnerabilities and bugs as the source code of Windows XP. But the most relevant factor of the overall security an operating system is delivering is its position in the mainstream culture. The Linux, Mac OS X and Windows XP top is the reversed version of each of these products' share of the operating system's market. Here we have Windows XP with 84.33%, Mac OS X with 6.38% and Linux with 0.42%. Windows Vista has also made its way into this top with 0.93% of the operating system market.