Abstract

 Diffie, Whitfield    Is Open-Source Software Better for Security than Proprietary?   

Is Open-Source Software Better for Security than Proprietary?

Abstract

The open-source movement argues that security is better in open-source software because "lots of eyes can look at it and find the bugs." Those who favor proprietary software observe that alot of hostile eyes can also look at open-source cod, and that is likely to benefit attackers more than anyone else. They add that a few expert eyes are better than many random ones; a dedicated organization with responsibility for the software is a better custodian than the many eyes of the open-source community. Cryptography  security   is one area of security where the issue of open or closed, security-through-obscurity was debated over a hundred years ago. Dr. Whitfield Diffie, a renowned export on security (and a well-known raconteur), will draw on what we know to guide us in what we can predict about the of open- versus closed-source systems.