[Titanscape (OP)]

Which OS do you prefer for security?

[SeanB]

MsDos 6, no networking..........................

After that the **NIX derivatives. Then OS/2

Long way lagging offerings from Redmond.

[Geezer]

Zilog RIO

[Geezer]

Actually, operating systems are greatly overrated.

It's really just a game of "Who's the King of the Castle". The OS has almost nothing to do with what an application actually does for the user. It's really just a traffic cop (who usually does a lousy job.)

[RD]

Malware writers will concentrate on the most popular operating system
i.e. windows , and common applications like Adobe Flash, Adobe PDF reader, Java  and JavaScript.

Linux is recommended by the US DoD  ... http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/operating-systems/3293430/secure-linux-for-remote-access-designed-by-us-military/

The primary security advantage of the DoD system that it runs a pristine (malware-free) version of the OS every time it is rebooted ...

it's designed to run from read-only media and without any persistent storage ...
The most malware can do, meanwhile, is run within a single session. For heightened security, the DoD recommends rebooting between sessions or just before particularly sensitive ones, such as when online banking is to be done. LPS should also be rebooted after visiting risky websites or when there's reason to suspect malware might have been installed.

[CliffordK]

MsDos 6, no networking..........................

There are, of course, DOS viruses.  In years past, DOS Floppy Disk (5¼) boot sector viruses were common.  Accidentally leave the floppy in the drive and reboot...  and whap...  got the virus.  Perhaps also infecting executables on the disk.

One of the big issues is just end-users just doing stupid things.  And, of course, system designs such that it is all too easy to do something like picking up a boot sector virus off of a device that should never have been bootable.

 

[SeanB]

As well Msdos does not natively support USB or SATA, so only older IDE drives or IDE like interfaces. Who still has working floppy drives these days, and uses them regularly?

[Gordian Knot]

Mac OS X. Not because it has magically secure capabilities. Macs are harder to infect than Windows machines, but certainly not impervious. Macs are safer simply because they hold such a small share of the computer market; these days somewhere between 5 and 8 percent.

So your malicious evil doer has a choice. Make a virus that affects less than 10% of the population, or make one that will affect 90%. The math is simple if one wants to get the most bang for their buck.

Windows requires add-on virus protection software, an added expense. Most Mac users do not bother with virus protection more robust than the programs that are available for free. There simply is no need.

[RD]

Windows requires add-on virus protection software, an added expense.

MS do offer free antivirus ... http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

[DrKcaey]

Linux certainly is the choice there. It caters to the least percentage of people and has one of the best performing stable operating system written from it as well as the fastest or more user friendliness.
RedHat Linux OS is great if you would like to have the most up to date applications or hardware drivers(maybe) and Ubuntu is better if you're just an end user though not idiot proof. There are others, some of which you have to pay for the service of maintaining the operating system with the ever changing Windows program or the Internet (due to compatibility issues) and such people also resort to self-tailored programs. Some bank uses Linux as well, so do the military. As Windows (.exe format files) can't be ran on a Linux (.deb files) viruses are kept at bay.

As a beginner, I recommend you Ubuntu. That is, if you are a frequent web surfer and not any Windows program heavy user.

I hope I was clear and have helped!

[RD]

Windows (.exe format files) can't be ran on a Linux

except via a windows emulator like Wine ...

Wine enables Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris users to run Windows applications without a copy of Microsoft Windows. Wine is free software under constant development. Other platforms may benefit as well.

http://wiki.winehq.org/

[vaccix]

Just for the record, I figure I'd post this for anybody else who comes across this article via Google, like I did:


If you run a Windows program in (GNU)Linux via WINE and it has malicious code it will not even phase your PC. In order for malicious code to affect Linux underneath WINE a program would have to written specifically for that reason and that is highly impractical. A malicious programmer would rather write a Linux virus than spend the time to write a virus that can work it's way around WINE so they could infect any Linux PC.

Linux is not at all impervious, but it annihilates Windows in the security department.

[syhprum]

The latest version of windows 8 loads an anti virus program automaticly

[smart]

OpenBSD combines proactive security and integrated cryptography. It is considered highly secure.