Reasons why Linux is considered more secure than other operating systems include the following:
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Permission Management: Linux's permission management is highly rigorous. For each file and program, granular permissions such as read, write, and execute are set, which can be finely configured for different users. This permission mechanism effectively prevents unauthorized access and actions.
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Open-Source Nature: Linux is an open-source operating system, meaning its source code is publicly available. Global developers can view, modify, and optimize the Linux code. This transparency not only accelerates innovation and issue resolution but also makes security vulnerabilities more difficult to hide.
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Default User Permissions: Linux does not assign elevated privileges to users by default (except for the root user). Even system administrators are advised to use regular accounts for daily tasks and switch to administrative accounts only when necessary. This strategy reduces the risk of the system being compromised by malware.
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Community Support and Rapid Response: Linux has an active community of developers and users. When security vulnerabilities are discovered, the community can respond swiftly to develop and deploy patches. This rapid response time is another key factor in Linux's security.
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Isolation: Linux provides robust process and service isolation mechanisms, such as chroot, namespaces, and cgroups. These technologies restrict interactions between programs, making external attacks more difficult.
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SELinux and AppArmor: Linux offers mandatory access control systems like SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) and AppArmor. They provide finer-grained control over program behavior, restricting programs from accessing unnecessary resources.
Example: In my previous work, we used Linux servers to deploy applications. Once, a critical application was targeted by a DDoS attack. Due to strict access control and network isolation configured on our Linux servers, attackers could not propagate the attack from one affected service to others. Additionally, due to the community's rapid response, we quickly received patches for this attack. These highlight Linux's advantages in security.