Where do you stand on the debate that proprietary software is more secure than open source software?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 10:00:31 -0400

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Jun 11 at 2016 10:05 AM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 10:05:55 -0400

I'm no IT expert, bit IMO no software is secure. If it can be written it can be hacked; may take a little longer with proprietary software, but if a dedicated individual wants in he/she will do it.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 11 at 2016 10:17 AM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 10:17:02 -0400

Neither one is more or less secure then the people securing it. It doesn't matter if you create the ultimate security program it will always have a vulnerability and that's people. Something as big as the DODIN might have better security protocols but is less secure because of how many people access it. A private firm might have less security protocols but be more secure because it's not as large of a target and doesn't have as many human vulnerabilities.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jun 11 at 2016 12:20 PM

SN Greg Wright — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 12:20:14 -0400

Firmly against. Both are vulnerable, but at least open source has lots of eyeballs looking at it -- often expressly to see if they can find anything nefarious.

Response by SN Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 11 at 2016 2:05 PM

SN Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 14:05:14 -0400

Neither proprietary nor open source has proven to be more secure than the other. Until we can write the perfect code for the perfect hardware, there will always be vulnerabilities. Since perfection is unachievable, so is perfect security. The best we can do is be vigilant in our monitoring, patch whenever possible, and plan for the worst. If you are prepaired for the inevitable, when it happens you won't be caught with your pants down and screaming "why me?".

Response by SGT Aaron Atwood made Jun 11 at 2016 10:20 PM

SGT Aaron Atwood — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 22:20:33 -0400

For the very limited knowledge I have in computers: software isn't the only thing that should be made as secure as humanly possible.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2016 4:40 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 16:40:25 -0400

Execution allowance and user privileges are what make most things vulnerable. Whether open source or not, the more involved the provider is, the more likely it is that the system will be secure. Some open source projects are well supported in the community while there are proprietary solutions that are loosely maintained.

So in essence: It depends.