Hello everyone and welcome to ZD Tech, the daily podcast from the ZDNet.fr editorial staff. My name is Guillaume Serries and today I explain to you which open source software or proprietary software is more secure.
This is a debate as old as the Internet. Is open source software as secure as proprietary software? 89% of IT managers believe that free software is as secure as proprietary software, according to a survey conducted by Red Hat, an IBM-owned company that publishes the Linux distribution Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
And for what reason ? Well, because these IT managers consider that they have reached maturity. Yes, I agree with you, it requires going into a bit more detail.
More people check the source code
According to proponents of open source software, open source software is more secure than proprietary software because more people check the source code. Source code that is publicly available. What lead to faster corrections.
“The problem is that there are sometimes not many eyes” to look at the code, notes however an expert from RedHat, who presses where it hurts. “These eyes are sometimes poorly qualified, and do not have a rigorous process,” he continues.
But that’s not the primary reason IT managers trust open source software. Similarly, the possibility of auditing the code of this software is not the main reason for the preference for open source according to the study.
The issue of funding free software projects
“Enterprise open source is increasingly seen as having the same benefits as proprietary software, while also offering the flexibility of open source licensing and the open source development model,” RedHat said.
But on the other hand, proprietary software operates on a “security through obscurity” model. That is, the codebases can only be checked, and corrected, by company employees.
But today, the debate is more about funding free software projects. The issue of their safety is crucially at stake.
The recent discovery of the Log4Shell flaw shows that the use of open source bricks in the supply chain of widely used software poses, according to the American authorities, a “national security problem”.
Today, open source software projects need more funding to find and fix bugs. Because yes, it costs time and money. And the original volunteerism of the developers seems to be reaching its limits. And this even though most of the global Internet infrastructure still relies on these volunteer-based projects.
But that time seems to be over. Google, for example, now contributes to the funding of open source projects to improve the process of fixing security vulnerabilities. The Linux Foundation, which is supported by Microsoft, Intel, Oracle and even Facebook, is also working on this crucial subject.
There you go, normally we have covered the subject. For more information, visit zdnet.fr. And find a new ZDTech episode every day on your favorite podcast platforms.
Find ZD Tech on podcast platforms
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Apple Podcast, it’s here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Spotify, it’s here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Deezer, it’s here
- To subscribe to the ZD Tech on Podcast Addict, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Amazon Music, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Google Podcast, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Pocket Casts, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Castbox, click here
- To subscribe to The ZD Tech on Overcast, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Castro, click here
- To subscribe to the ZD Tech on Podtail, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on TuneIn, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Podnews, it’s here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Listen Notes, it’s here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Chartable, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Cast Box, click here
- To subscribe to ZD Tech on Android, it’s here