Linux servers 'attacked more often'

Online servers running Linux were attacked more often in January than those running Windows, according to a security firm. Linux advocates often take pride in the operating system being more secure than Windows but this claim may have attracted unwanted attention from the hacking community.

An analysis of hacker attacks on online servers in January by UK-based security consultancy mi2g found that Linux servers were the most frequently hit, accounting for 13,654 successful attacks, or 80 percent of the survey total. Windows came in a distant second with 2,005 attacks. A detailed analysis of government servers also found Linux to be more susceptible, accounting for 57 percent of all security breaches. In a similar study last year, Microsoft Windows proved to be more vulnerable, accounting for 51 percent of successful attacks on government servers.

However, the sharp rise in Linux breaches probably reflects a lack of training and deployment expertise rather than inherent security problems within Linux, mi2g officials suggested.

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