When you select an operating system, there are a lot of different factors that are taken into consideration. However, security is becoming increasingly important. You only need to look at the news to see the increasing number of data breaches that are occurring around the world at present. Choosing an operating system with care is your first step when defending your personal data. With that in mind, read on to discover the reasons why Linux is more secure than Windows.
No operating system is indestructible
Before we delve into the benefits, it is important to stress the fact that Linux systems are certainly not flawless – no operating system is. You will need to have additional security methods in place, including two-factor authentication, encryption, changing default passwords, and high-level service, such as a push-button failover, for data disaster recovery if something does go wrong.
Of course, when you are choosing an operating system, security is only going to be one of the things you look at. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration. You need to think about what is going to be right for your business from a perspective of the sort of tasks you are going to be carrying out and who is going to be using the system as well. Nevertheless, it does not matter what sort of business you run today, security is something you simply cannot afford to overlook. All you need to do is a quick search online or turn on the news and you will see that there are many examples of data breaches. You can learn more about them, the fines companies have received, and the impact they have had, and we are sure this will make you want to do everything in your power to stop them.
Social engineering is more difficult to carry out on Linux
However, there is no denying that using Linux can reduce the chances of a breach happening in the first place. One of the reasons Linux is better for security is because social engineering is much more difficult to carry out. Social engineering is when worms and viruses are spread by convincing computer users to carry out an action that they shouldn’t, for example, open an attachment. The chances of this happening with a Linux system are reduced because the user would need to read the email message they received, after which the attachment would need to be saved, the user would then need to grant executable permissions, and finally, they would need to launch the executable. This is very unlikely. However, with Windows systems, all they need to do is open the email and click on the attachment.
You can grant account access
Another advantage to consider is the way account privileges are assigned. With Windows, administrator access is granted to users by default, which means that all users pretty much have access to everything on the system. As a consequence, viruses are going to have access to everything on the system too, meaning the effects could be devastating if a hacker finds a way in. Linux operates differently. Users are given lower-level accounts, which means that viruses won’t have root access if a Linux system is compromised, meaning the damage is lowered. This is especially important for businesses whereby people have different roles within your company. For example, if you have a customer services team that uses your IP Phones System, you can make sure that they are the only employees that have access to this.
The configuration of Linux makes it more difficult to reach many users
Finally, let’s talk numbers. With Linux, there are many different mail clients, packaging systems, and shells. In fact, Linux even runs on a number of architectures beyond Intel. However, with Microsoft Windows, it dominates the computing world, as do Outlook and Outlook Express. This mere fact is where problems lie. Hackers can direct a virus squarely at Windows users because they virtually all use the same technology. However, it is much more difficult to reach a small fraction of Linux users.
Final words on why Linux makes sense from a security perspective
As you can see, there are many reasons why you should consider Linux over Windows when it comes to security. From the way account privileges are assigned to the sheer numbers game, it is clear to see that Linux users have a lot less to worry about. Who wouldn’t want to benefit from an extra layer of security?
