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Businesses invest a lot of time, effort, and money to keep their systems safe, using firewalls and the best antivirus tools. They spend time monitoring their networks, looking for suspicious activity, threats.
But how many users think about how the operating system on their computer is deployed? And security is also an important factor when choosing an operating system to use.
The issue here is which operating system is the safest for general deployment? While not as widely used as Windows or MacOS, Linux is always praised for its high security, safety, avoiding many different types of malware. So why is Linux security better than Windows and MacOS?
Considering the top 3 operating systems
One of the reasons that businesses cannot assess the security of the operating system they deploy is that they have been using that operating system for years.
In the past, all operating systems were secure and terms like hacking, data theft, or installing malware were still very new. And once users choose to use an operating system, it is very difficult to choose other replacement operating systems. Very few companies or organizations want to switch to a new operating system because it is related to many other factors.
Explore the top 3 most popular operating systems for computers and see if their security approach has significantly changed.
In today's technology era, threats to businesses are certainly evolving. Cyberattacks are becoming much more complex and increasingly common. From ransomware attacks, malware infections, and computer viruses, primarily targeting Windows and Mac. Computers infected with malware significantly affect performance. Moreover, hackers can easily attack 100,000 computers with a botnet network.
Is the operating system really important?
The operating system deployed to users will make a difference in security, but it is not a foolproof protection. Today, attackers only target users, not your entire system.
A survey of hackers attending the DEFCON conference found that '84% use social engineering attacks as part of their attack strategy'.
Deploying a secure operating system is the first important step, followed by ensuring a strong firewall and users need to be cautious because even the safest network can be attacked. And of course, benign software, browser extensions, or other utilities, plugins can also become accomplices supporting malware to attack the system.
And no matter what platform you choose, the best way to ensure system security is to quickly update software, patches.
Note that you should not use root and do not allow guest access to old servers on the network. Additionally, choose strong, memorable passwords, combining different characters for accounts, and you can save passwords created on tools such as 1Password for easier use.
The key point here is that all your decisions on the system will affect security, even the operating system you are using.
Windows remains a popular choice
Windows is dominating the technology market. According to NetMarketShare, an estimated 88% of computers on the Internet are running Windows.
If your computer is also among the 88% of computers on the Internet running Windows, you probably know that Microsoft continues to enhance the security of their operating system. Evidence is that Microsoft adds antivirus software, improves the firewall, and deploys a sandbox structure, where programs cannot access the operating system's memory space or other applications.
Although Windows is a popular operating system, assessing whether it is a secure operating system depends on many other factors.
According to Troy Wilkinson, CEO of Axiom Cyber Solutions, explains: 'Windows always includes security options. The main reason is that the number of Windows users is quite large, and hackers target this operating system the most'
The most common Windows operating system attacks include Melissa, WannaCry, and most malware attacks also target Windows.
Mac OS X and security through obscurity
If Windows is the most popular operating system and also the most targeted by hackers, you may consider switching to a less popular but more secure option like Mac OS X. Mac OS X applies 'security through obscurity,' ensuring the exclusivity of operations within the operating system, making it the best solution against attacks.
Wilkinson shares that Mac OS X is safer than Windows. Although Mac OS is considered a secure operating system with very few security vulnerabilities, in recent years we can see hackers gradually shifting to carry out more attacks on this operating system. In other words, it is easier to understand that hackers also do not overlook a good target like Mac.
Security researcher Lee Muson of Comparitech shares that macOS might be the top choice if you want a more secure operating system. However, he also warns that this does not mean Mac is not targeted by attacks.
Joe Moore of Wolf Solutions believes that security on Mac OS X is quite good, partly because this operating system is not as popular as Windows and is not the most targeted, and partly because Apple has implemented security quite well.
Linux Security Outperforms Windows and macOS
Most experts agree that Linux is the safest operating system, but it's worth noting that this operating system is used less on servers, and businesses deploying Linux on their computers are very few. However, many experts and users rate that Linux servers are much better than Windows servers.
And if you choose Linux, you still have to choose different Linux distributions. Using Linux is also slightly more complex than Windows and macOS, but in return, it is the safest operating system.
As Moore explains: 'Linux is the safest operating system, but it requires users to have experience'. So this operating system is not for all users.
Top-tier Linux distributions prioritize security, including Parrot Linux, a Debian-based Linux distribution.
The most important difference between Linux and Windows/macOS is that Linux is an open-source operating system. According to Igor Bidenko, CISO of Simplex Solutions: 'Linux is the safest operating system because it is an open-source operating system. Anyone can dig into the operating system to ensure that it has no bugs and back doors'.
Wilkinson explains that 'Linux and Unix-based operating systems have fewer exploited security vulnerabilities. Linux is edited, supplemented, and monitored by the user community, so there are fewer vulnerabilities and threats'.
As Katherine Noyes explains: 'Microsoft may have a team of developers, but this team may not be able to compare with the global user developer community of Linux'.
Additionally, Linux's user privilege model is better. Windows users are typically provided with default access by Admin, meaning they have access to everything on the system. In contrast, Linux restricts the 'root'.
Noyes also notes that the diversity in the Linux environment can be a better defense against attacks than typical Windows. There are many different Linux distributions, and users can differentiate between these distributions by considering the security measures implemented on them.
Security researcher Lee Muson of Comparitech suggests users use Linux distributions like Qubes or Tails Linux, designed to run securely and anonymously from a USB drive or similar external devices.
So the article on Mytour just explained to you why Linux security is better than Windows and macOS. Most researchers and users agree that Linux is the safest operating system. Assuming that if Mac and Windows users switch to using Linux, it is very likely that Windows and Mac will again be safe operating systems.
If you're torn between Windows 10 and Mac OS X, unsure which operating system to use, check out the comparison between Windows 10 and OS X here to make your choice.
