Symantec CEO hits out at Microsoft... and Linux

Symantec CEO John Thompson has hit out at "the myth" that Microsoft's operating system is inherently less secure than the open-source alternatives, which he likened to a "dead-end alley". However, he still had few kind words for the software giant.

Thompson believes the reason Microsoft is so often seen as culpable for virus outbreaks and security flaws is simply because it is the biggest target – though he admitted that if "things get too homogenised, it is not a good thing" – especially where security is concerned.

And while some believe Microsoft's move into the antivirus field, through acquisition, means it is best placed to heal its own wounds, Thompson is unconcerned, claiming Microsoft lacks the credentials to be taken seriously in the antivirus sector.

"The market will acknowledge that you want to buy security products from people who know what they are doing. We've been doing this for years. We don't do game boxes and we don't do operating systems. We do security."

Thompson likened virus writers to graffiti artists – and the operating systems targeted as their 'canvas'.

"If somebody writes graffiti they're not going to write it on a wall at the end of a dead-end alley. They're going to write it on a train that travels right through the city centre."

In Thompson's opinion the ubiquity of Microsoft's operating system simply offers a more attractive canvas for the virus writers – hence the higher number of attacks aimed at Windows vulnerabilities.

Thompson was in the UK to speak at a Prince's Trust event, chaired by silicon.com editor Tony Hallett

Speaking on stage, Thompson said: "There is a myth in the industry that Linux is inherently more secure. I don't believe that."

But Thompson doesn't see things moving on from Microsoft any time soon – scotching suggestions that mobile and wireless will be the next target for virus writers.

Speaking at the event, he said: "The Windows environment will be target rich for a long, long time", singling out Microsoft Office as the next likely target area for virus writers already au fait with Microsoft code.

However, more important than concerns about operating systems or the actions of virus writers is the need for greater user education, according to Thompson.

"There is a huge awareness problem that needs to be dealt with," he said, warning that end-user error can still undermine even the most thorough digital security.

"Why would somebody click on an attachment from somebody they don't know? To me that just doesn't make sense."

Thompson urged companies to take the issue of educating staff far more seriously and combine it with policy and technology.

"Security is a process, not a bunch of products," he said.