On 23/12/10 14:05, mick wrote:
The/only/ reason we do not see the same problems that beset the MS world is that we/are/ a minority. If Linux were running on 90% of all corporate desktops then we would be drowning in Linux malware.
I dispute that.
What percentage of say hosting services are running on linux ? A lot more than 1-2%, more than 10% in fact last time I paid attention it was over 50%
Yet most of the exploits attack platform independent code (like PHP) running on those systems which is equally vulnerable or perhaps even more vulnerable when it is hosted on a Windows system. Compare that to the amount of attacks that target platform dependant flaws on Windows.
Also malware writers have proven they will attack a platform that has minimal market share when that platform is unguarded and the infection is likely to go undetected for a long time. 8% of your target infected for a very long time is almost as effective as 80% infected for a short time till the AV vendors catch up.
Case in point, recently some malware has been discovered in the wild for S60 phones, a platform that has nothing like market share, but it's easier to infect than iOS or Android.
I am not saying market share isn't a factor but it is far from the only one.
Also your statistic that says effectively 100% of home users are on Windows is out of date..Apple have made big steps and a lot of home and college student machines are running OSX now...go into any internet enabled cafe and count up the macbooks and you generally hit a number not far from the number of Windows laptops.