by Ryan Budiman

Created on: March 15, 2009

Security is one undeniable fact about the computing world. It has been, is, and will keep haunting us if we do not understand what and how safe our computers are. One key of keeping your systems safe is what operating system (OS) you use. There are many operating systems out there; some are free while some are proprietary. Nowadays, the operating system that is most used is Microsoft Windows. Another well known OS, especially among design professionals, is Apple's Mac OS X. Whilst these two are proprietary, Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, is completely free and open-source. This article will outline how the security differs from one OS to another, and what features does these three have to secure their users.

=Security comparison: Windows Vista, Mac OS X Tiger, and Ubuntu=

1. Windows Vista

The Windows OS holds the most share of the operating systems used today, and it is no coincidence that this operating system happens to be the most exploitable (that is, easily attacked) among the three. This OS can be wrecked by viruses, trojans, malwares, spywares, keyloggers, and hackers.

Fortunately, Windows Vista can be equipped with antivirus and antispyware to exterminate those threats. And as an added security in Windows Vista, Microsoft engineers have implemented the UAC (User Account Control). This feature will stop all programs that will access crucial places in the systems, such as the Registry or the Windows folder. Users can allow access of legitimate program by providing their Administrator credentials, thus eliminating the posibility of a hidden malware or virus to install or replicate themselves.

2. Mac OS X Tiger

Some would say that Mac OS X is safer than Windows. This may be partly true, as OS X designers coded the operating system so it can have a better security especially for novices and beginners.

As we know, the Administrator account can do anything to the system, to repair or to break. This is why OS X Tiger restricts the user access to the Administrator account. It is not intended for daily use. Instead users will use their standard account, which can not do anything that is related to the important parts of the system. And if by any means a power user or an administrator wanted to change some crucial settings, he/she can provide the Administrator's password to continue. This is important because eventhough hackers managed to get hold of the standard account, he can't wreck the system if he doesn't know the Administrator's password.

Another important

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>