I'm posting this here because I'm a newbie but when it comes to security I guess you have to ask the experts. This forum is pretty complete with how to's and thats rare but when I say I'm new, well we don't want to get into that. I personally feel from everything I've seen and heard that Linux is a more secure O/S than Windows. But if I was going to make a $$$s transfer over the net is Linux really more secure than Windows XP? If so how much more? I'm using Simply Mepis and its great, especially for some one new like me, it almost configures itself completely. Come to think of it because of the Mepis Lovers is how I got here!!! I would appreiciate an answer because everyone here has in the past been very helpful and given me the source codes to stuff but its sort of handing me a jet plane, I don't know how. Anyway thank you in advance,Saquear!!!

I'm wondering what kind of transfer you're talking about.

I figure all internet traffic despite OS, when it's out there...in transport...is "susceptible to attack". Please correct me if I'm wrong....secure connections and tunnels are always added protection.

I do believe that even these security features work better on a more secure OS.

In terms of security at the traffics end points, I can say that Linux is currently less susceptible to online attacks...

Hope this helps...

Hoping for some input from the wiser...

Is Linux secure? If thats your question my answer is yes. Just remember to adjust your firewall, to use selinux if provided, to use the greatest browser on earth: firefox and to always use secure connections if available. As for your money transactions... always check for the secure icon and security credits, if something looks funny about a site then dont try it. Better be safe (paranoic safe) than sorry.

, DoubleOtec thank you, it all helps. I meant $$$s transfers to purchasers selling their service and me using a credit card or debit card I was lately attacked by a Trojan and I went through S-----T for almost a month. I was using XP and I had a firewall and Spybot and Ad-ware and it still got through. Its not that I have a lot of $$s, but its all I have, Saquear!!!

to answer the is it more secure question, in my opinion (although im sure to get bashed for this by many a people) linux is not more secure right out of the box than most distros. Before i get bashed by all of mankind who knows anything about computers, linux is far more secure if your willing to dig in and make some adjustments. Also alot faster. So if your talking about considerable money trnsactions i would use linux, but i would suggest using grsecurity, which considerably hardens the kernel.

The big misconception is that Linux is more secure than $M a myth. The problem is that $M come with no rules completely open. Linux come almost all closed. $M comes as everyone is an admin. Linux only root is admin. No one bthers to set up $M correctly why I don't know. I am an ISS specialist. I write worms and viruses for my own computers and then protect against them (whitehacker).
$M is easiest to break into when an idiot uses the name administrator as the administrator account and password as the password, the same idiots that ask what ICMP is. Biggest flaw in Linux is about the same except everything begins closed (no ICMP) but their are plenty of backdoors redirect port 80 and you not get the new virus. I have been running $M without virus protection to check security after set up correctly yet to get one. 2 months. The same with Linux I recieved one but quickly fixed once I knew. Knowledge is power not bashing

Thomasseafort; well, well, well, you are the guy I've been waiting for!!! If one wanted to make M$ or Linux very secure how much does one have to know? How much schooling? Lets say after an A+, Network+, and Security+ what classes or cert type classes besides learning basic Linux would one follow? I don't mean certification as far as getting certified but just to give an outline as to what kind of path one should take and gauge the time and distance it would take me to get there. What is an ISS specialist?
Also I'm running XP Home edition and I am the only one using, I should be user only to be more more secure? Thank you Saquear!!!

In order to make it secure, all you have to do is read an iptables tutorial and generate your script. Here is a very good one, and there are also some pre-rolled scripts at http://www.linuxguruz.com

Scuzzman, thanks a lot, I'm going to have to save it for the future because I don't have a good working knowledge of the command line, but I will. Hey you are not arrogant about what you know, thats nice !!! At the Moment I don't know what Iptables are, catch you later and thanks,Saquear!!!

IP tables are hard to configure and maintain if you are the only one using it the system and no other computers then it is unneccary but good knowledge. The best books I have read on the subject is Hardening an Operating system they have them for every OS you can find in any library in the US tech republic online. ISS is information security system it is my job to make systems secure. Check this out I am running $M with no antivirus or firewall and yet to get one maybe service pack 4 did the job 2 months of course you have to set all of the security features. I lie when I say newbie sorry!!

Thomasseafort,in XP home how difficult is it secure? And In Mepis 2.4.6 how hard is it to make secure? Is Genntoo or
Fedora 3, or Mandrake more secure? To harden an XP system should it be XP Pro? Out of the above mentioned Linux which configures the easiest to the internet, DSL? Thank You Saquear!!!

, O.K. Thomas, Where are You!!!
Saquear!!!

Sometimes I get to work. $M ME is crap it is something that $M gives for free it is for hme users that have nothing to secure I spend more time trying to fix than anything get rid of it you might as well run DOS 3.1. Fedora is very secure and but harder to configure the benefit is that it comes secure so you don't have to worry about it unless you need to FTP, SMTP or set up an IP table. $M come open meaning that FTP and SMTP and all ports are open you need to close them it is easy to do in pro or XP. In the control panel their is a management tool that you can use Active directory is very useful

To continue all OS can be made secure ME is a wate of time I like Fedora to do work on Liux and anything above $M 2000.

Saquear one more thing if you do not know how to set correctly I advise to get protection Norton, Pennicillin, something like that. Smooth wall for free but as the rule goes you get what you pay for