LinuxToday Australia : Could there be a Linux Love Bug?

[ Thanks to Niki
Scevak for this link. ]

“Nobody could have missed last week’s “love bug” furore. The
email-borne virus swept the globe, affecting innumerable Windows
users and bogging down help desks and tech support departments
worldwide. The uproar in the mainstream press was matched only by
the righteous smugness of Linux users on mailing lists, newsgroups,
and discussion websites.”

“The general consensus is that Linux is virtually immune to
viruses and was not affected by the “love bug”. However, the
reasons for Linux’s immunity, and the likelihood of future threats,
bear closer examination.”

“The first reason that Linux was not affected by “ILOVEYOU” or
last year’s “Melissa” virus is that Linux is still a fringe
operating system. Despite steadily growing popularity and media
attention, Linux still only holds about ten percent of the market
share, even by the most optimistic estimates.”

“Viruses propagate best in a technical mono-culture, just as
biological diseases spread fastest in regions with only one species
of crop. Viruses which affect bananas do not affect pigs, just as
viruses which affect Windows do not affect Linux. In the
near-mono-culture of Microsoft operating systems and applications,
however, computer viruses can spread like the plague… and
completely bypass minority operating systems.”

Complete
Story