Why is Windows Open to such attacks, I've decided to learn Linux?

Question

Windows is too easy ;specially for people to write "Malware" that have no solutions except losing 4 years worth of Pics and Music;I've managed to recover most but I'm losing Windows XP,the latest MAC is nice but I don't quite need that kinda Sports Car,also its only secure because its bin left alone at 6.75% market,security isn't much better they are just not the Target

Answer 1

Windows is so open to attacks because all of the layers of Windows are retrofits, afterthoughts, and add-ins dropped on top of MS-DOS. Which had no security to speak of.

It got SO bad that MS had to rewrite the Windows kernel from the ground up for WinNT. BUT... there was already so much out there in the line of layered products that they could not completely fix all of the holes without breaking everything that would run on the machine.

UNIX isn't necessarily that good, either. There are at least 60 things you must do to a UNIX fresh out of the box in order to truly secure it. On the other hand, it is securable to a pretty good degree.

Both of them suffer from some very common flaws. For instance, just to name one: Using what is called an ASCIZ string (zero-terminated string). This is how buffer overruns occur. A good O/S should NEVER trust raw input from the outside world to be properly terminated. It should instead take pains to verify that the thing being received won't overrun the buffer and "sneak" instructions into memory. Using COUNTED strings ( ASCIC ) or tightly delimited buffers would prevent MANY of the more common network-based attacks.

Answer 2

Microsoft Windows is the market leader in operating system and hence most of the hackers concentrate on windows os.

Answer 3

Windows is easier for Hackers to get into because of the insecurities inside the Operating system and the amount of people that Have it

Answer 4

One theory that is floating around is that Microsoft makes it that way on purpose so that you keep having to buy more stuff from them. Don't know if it's true, but it would not surprise me.