Security Portal: Top Information Security Stories (and Non-Stories) of 1999

“Open Source software and Linux are heavily influencing the
information security industry and most of the issues in the
rest of our top stories of the year. The Open Source movement has
lead to the creating of alternative security software that can
bypass US regulations and compete against commercial software
vendors. From open versions of PGP and IPSEC to high quality
intrusion detection systems, it seems that there is no limit to
what can be accomplished using this collaborative software
development methodology. Linux is appealing to many as a more
secure and manageable alternative to Microsoft operating systems.
Many in the security industry philosophically believe that widely
published source code is the only way to give it vigorous review
and improve its security. Open Source has a darker side as well,
freely published security exploits and viruses rapidly increase the
tools of the bad guys. However, this barn door is well past
closing, and not only are the cows gone, but they now have stock
options.”

Complete story.