plenty900@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> I've learned that there are bits of NSA's SELinux in various
> places in kernel 2.6. How can I be sure that Big Brother isn't
> using back doors or bugs to break into my computer?
> Especially with all the illegal spying done these days...
> How much safer would it be to just switch back to 2.4 or 2.5?

As someone who has lurked on the Linux Kernel Mailing List for
quite a few years, I can assure you that the whole 'many eyes'
argument in favor of Linux's open source nature is absolutely
true. While not a 100% guarantee, it makes it very unlikely that
purposeful security backdoors would survive peer review. It is
much more likely that a closed source operating system, with its
budget constraints and release date pressures, would let
something like that slip through.

Also, keep in mind that Linux, with its popularity as an embedded
OS in the safety conscious aerospace, automotive, and medical
technology industries, has been put through some rather rigorous
source code audits (some mandated by the government) even over
and above the usual scrutiny by the core kernel hackers.

I've no worries about the 2.6 kernel.

Thad
--
Yeah, I drank the Open Source cool-aid... Unlike the other brand, it had
all the ingredients on the label.