The essay "Open Source Is Fertile Ground for Foul Play" suggests three areas where security might be a concern for governments when considering open source software. However, all three arguments are flawed "straw men" when subjected to rational analysis. Indeed, some of the author's own arguments demonstrate the strengths of open source when weighed against any closed source alternative. First, the author suggests that security breaches could be inserted into open source software by an insider, perhaps hidden in code submitted as a fix or an extension. While there is a remote possibility of this occurring (this is conceded as "not terribly likely," even by the author), there is a far greater possibility of this occurring when patching closed source software.
|