Question regarding an article from Microsft Hellas's CEO

[Bernhard Kaindl]

On Wed, 4 Feb 2004, Giannis Stoilis wrote:

> Hello,
> I am the Secretary of the Hellenic Linux Users Group(http://www.hellug.gr/)
> In an interview given by "Microsoft Hellas
> S.A."(http://www.microsoft.com/hellas/) CEO(Mr. Christos Tsagkos) at the
> Hellenic Financial Newspaper Naftemporiki(E-WORKING Manazine, Page 4, Answer
> to the 4th question - http://www.naftemporiki.gr/[greek only]), there was an
> abstract saying, word by word: "Let me start by saying that, according to a
> recert reasearch by IDC, Windows is the least vulnerable operating system,
> regarding security issues. The research indicates that there are more than
> twice number of viruses for Linux than for Windows". I have searched every
--^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I don't know from which world this IDC reseach comes from but on the world
which I see, there are tousands of viruses for DOS and Windows and I'd guess
at least 100 worms which have spread the world using Windows.

Saying this at a time where quite a number of Microsoft worms are circulating
around the world (e.g. one having caused that www.sco.com does not resolve in
DNS, because the traffic it causes caused too much traffic on the internet
(see http://www.netcraft.com and look for SCO and the MS URL-Spoofing issue
and for details) sounds pretty much from another world to me.

More about the worm e.g. at: http://symantec.com/

You can clearly demonstrate to anyone who is able to look at
http://www.netcraft.com that Microsoft Worms are causing far
more trouble than any Linux worm ever had long ago(I remember only one)
so I think you can ask the MS CEO in public article what reseach
he refers to...

> recent research from IDC but I haven't found that information.

I think he must have confused something, for example at least the
number of viruses would be also quite irrelevant today, since worms
rule the availability of websites like www.sco.com and the backup
site www2.sco.com.

> What do you advise us to do? We have already contacted IDC and waiting for a
> response.

I think this really calls for a counter-article from the Linux User
Community sends the statement of the MS CEO into the world of fairy-tales.

I'd hope some greek e-zines would pick it up, and if not I guess it would
at least be worth a try to put a short notice on slashdot to show
the world on what kind of drugs the Greek MS CEO is at(I wouln't use
these words in a newspaper article of course :-)

Maybe you can check the virus/worm database for the number of Windows/Linux
worms and invite him to prove his statemtent in an article/outreach.

Just another point: "Windows is the least vulnerable operating system"

There he seems to say that he feels that Windows is more secure than say
*BSD and any Securtiy-Enhanced Linux. If I go and look, I see only Windows
Virus Software companies and no Linux one, strange...

The Only Linux Virus Software I know filters Windows Viruses out of
mails to protect these insecure boxes...

Just my personal opinion from what I see.
Bernhard