Open Source Security Myths Debunked

Detractors of open source software often point to its broad developer base and open source code as a potential security risk. But that's not a fair assessment, according to Dr Ian Levy, technical director with the CESG, a department of the UK's GCHQ intelligence agency that advises UK government on IT security.

Open source is no worse or better than proprietary software when it comes to security, according to Levy, who busted myths about open source security — and detailed its genuine security challenges — at the Open Source, Open Standards conference in London last week.