Honeynet Report Highlights Increased Lifespan Of Unpatched Linux Systems

Unpatched Linux systems are lasting longer on the internet before being compromised, according to a study by the Honeynet Project, a nonprofit group of security professionals that researches online attackers' methods and motives. Data from 12 honeynets showed that the average "life expectancy" of an unpatched Linux system has increased to three months from 72 hours two years ago.

In other words, a Linux system with commonly-used configurations, such as server builds of Suse 6.2 or RedHat 9.0, will last three months online before being successfully compromised. Reasons behind this trend include the fact that the open-source operating system has become dramatically more secure in the past couple years, said Lance Spitzner, president of the Honeynet Project, which released the report with the Honeynet Research Alliance, a forum of other honeynet research organizations.

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