Assessing Open Source Security Practices Through Bruce Schneier's Lens

Further information on why open source leads to a more secure environment. Bruce Schneier comments in this article why he thinks Microsoft wants a closed-door policy on security vulnerability disclosure. "Security firms, [Scott Culp] says, can just whisper the problems to Microsoft, which will promptly patch the hole.. . . Further information on why open source leads to a more secure environment. Bruce Schneier comments in this article why he thinks Microsoft wants a closed-door policy on security vulnerability disclosure. "Security firms, [Scott Culp] says, can just whisper the problems to Microsoft, which will promptly patch the hole.

Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer of Counterpane Internet Security, says that won't happen. Microsoft has always treated security threats as a public relations problem, so it would do anything it could not to publicize its susceptibility, Schneier says. "Companies like Microsoft would ignore security researchers who quietly informed them of security vulnerabilities," he explains. "They would lie to the public and say that the vulnerabilities were 'theoretical only' or 'impractical.' "

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