Bitcoin Forum

I'm installing Ubuntu right now and seems much more aesthetic than i thought open source software should look like.  It looks like it has an apps store as well.  Which implies to me that the developers have some kind of monetary incentive.  Or is it much to do with nothing?  Or am i just paranoid? What do you think of Ubuntu?  

Secure than windows & mac : Yes
Most secure linux os: Not sure

I think something like Qubes is the most secure.  You might be able to install Xen on Ubuntu?

The technically correct answer to your question is No, it isn't the most secure. The practical answer however is Yes, it's good enough. If you're only keeping your "spending money" in a local wallet, don't run as the root user and implement some basic security practices, you should be fine.

Ubuntu is great and much more secure then Windows. But have you looked at Kubuntu its Ubuntu with the KDE desktop? If you look at KDE's software center "Muon" You will only find free software.

As said about not login in as root, also always use a strong password.

Its more secure than windows but you also have the ability to really screw things up if you start tweaking, which is a major temptation for some. 

Yeah but I bet DOS is safer.  ;D

This is incredibly true. Security is far more about your choices than your tools. You can use the most secure tool in the world, but use it wrong and it will be useless (e.g. using the password "123"). There are several techniques I have seen talked about here and on other sites. I would recommend you look at this thread (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=17240.0) and at the Armory Wallet for offline wallets (https://bitcoinarmory.com/using-offline-wallets-in-armory/).

I wrote a guide to using armory offline:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=235584.0

I recommend you use an OS you are familiar with and know hot to secure properly. More importantly encrypt your wallet with a strong password so even if you get hacked your coins are locked away. For the most security use an offline wallet (ex: paper wallets, armory supports this). You can have an offline wallet address, send coins to it, and when you want to retrieve the coins you can bring it "online" by using the private key (example: stored on a scannable printed paper in a safe)

Good luck, and do research!

Also, don't just trust an OS

You can guarantee ubuntu is a very secure OS.

I've been using Linux since 1998 (MKLinux DR3 my first distro)

I'd stay away from Ubuntu, it's gone adware.

Last time I tried it, I try to launch the gimp - didn't see it. So I entered gimp into the search thingy and what did I get? A bunch of amazon links.

If you like the debian package manager, go with debian or mint.
If you like the RPM package manager, go with fedora.

CentOS is another option, the software packages are older but it is more stable since it is not a testing ground for new features.

I've gone Mint in the last few years, but thanks for Mentioning Fedora. i think i'll be going back To Fedora to try it out now that you mentioned it. havent heard of Fedora core in a longtime.

Personally I'm using a debian distribution with custom modifications. No problems thus far.

^Looks like we've got a bad ass right here.

good job , thank you

Not every version of Ubuntu is secure.
Version 12.10 has spyware installed.
10.04 and 12.04 is secure, they are stable versions.

LOL Where did you read that? I get the feeling your talking about Nepomuk.

the OS doesn't matter IMO. though Ubuntu may be safer than windows

what'ts more important is that you set up a decent wallet password and store it in the cloud like google drive or dropbox

The most secure OS? Probably OpenBSD or FreeBSD using jails. But I don't know if anyone has ported the wallet software yet.

Use gentoo and harden the shit out of it using grsecurity and selinux. ;D

But for simplicity I'd recommend an external (usb connected) hard disk with some linux os installed on it. Only use it to manage your wallet. Especially no webbrowsing. And NEVER let a running system access the disk, always boot directly from it.

+1, posting from hardened gentoo. :-) Armory with offline wallet running on linux is pretty much as safe as it gets. And backups, backups and backups..

In vanilla format, windows and Ubuntu are about as secure as each other.

The big problem these days is not the standard OS, but the apps running on it. So you might not download any malware, but you could still end up having a hacker come visit.

The major problem with most Linux distros is everyone thinks they are secure and don't do the patch management that it needs to keep it secure!

Just be careful with your passwords and your encryption, and you should be ok.

Screw all of this. Just use a offline computer, doesn't matter what OS then. SAFEST option.

I'm no fan of Ubuntu, but if you are comparing to Windows, it's much saffer.

They are equally as safe in my opinion.

Probably not, because the amount of malware produced for windows is way greater than for linux systems, but you know, the biggest threat resides between the char and the keyboard, hehe.

Could be referring to this https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks)

The OS probably isn't as important as the user. =)

I wouldn't keep your wallet (at least, the wallet with the majority of your coins in it) on any computer that is connected to the internet. The best place for your wallet is offline - stored on a few USB keys in multiple locations. I wrote a guide on securing your wallet a few weeks ago:

http://www.cryptobadger.com/2013/05/guide-bitcoin-wallet-security/

Things you searched for were sent to amazon un-encrypted.
This is public knowledge.

I prefer to call it adware because the purpose was to serve you advertisements but it was spyware.

Ha ha ha ha! Not even close.

I'm sorry but not only is windows closed source but academic studies have demonstrated that the linux kernel has far few bugs per line of code than Windows. Most security holes are the result of bugs.

The Red October malware network that went un-discovered for years. Was it open source or closed source vulnerabilities it exploited?

And there is this: http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-waits-fix-software-bugs-nsa-them-first-140237627.html

Ubuntu server is more secure than ubuntu desktop which is more secure than windows.  But, the ease of use of an environment you know may outweigh any perceived improvement in security.

OSX has fewer reported vulnerabilities than windows and is easier for many to learn than ubuntu which is one of the easier linux distributions to use which may make OSX a better choice.

Any GNU/Linux OS will be much safer than Windows, but nothing is as safe as taking your wallet off-line. There are hardening scripts all over the net. In Ubuntu, the default firewall handling system is ufw https://help.ubuntu.com/10.04/serverguide/firewall.html. Other useful tools you might want to learn about are fail2ban and tripwire  http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8758

ROFL! Nice! This may be the least secure way of storage possible.   :o

Agreed, OS X itself is very secure. One COULD go even one step further. Storing one's offline wallet in an encrypted sparsebundle disk image using a complex password would be considered EXTREMELY secure.

In fact, the main "security" concern at that point would be to ensure proper offsite backup of the encrypted disk image.

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but, if you want your machine to be more secure, don't install Java at all.  Not on your computer or the browser plugin, just don't have it on your computer, and if you do, don't go to random Bitcoin-related websites which ask you to activate a Java applet and then accept it without a second thought and come back and say something like "Oh noes my account is haxx0rd modz plz, plz mods plz"

And this is exactly why they are both as secure as each other!  Having more faith in something, because some academic told you its ok, is really bad practice! ;)

All the statements you made are discussing non technical issues. Licencing doesn't make something more secure, and its not the kernel we are discussing, but the whole package, including the apps that run on it. 

As an example, when you look for expolits in Linux, you check out things like Samba local root exploits, OpenSSH, SETI@home, ProFTPD, Apache etc for flaws to get in, you don't tend to check out the Linux kernel, even though that also has flaws.
When you look for Windows exploits, you would look for the same type of things, but its all under the banner of Windows, and so the myth of Windows being more insecure continues - even though it was only really true in the late 90s - remember the Netbios file share exploit? ;)

Any computer is secure if the user is proactive in maintaining security, and not clicking on stuff they don't fully trust! :)

This is a key to being secure, no java.

It does happen: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=266813.0

He said he did not read about anyone getting BTC stolen on a Mac. I did not really follow the Win vs Mac vs Linux security discussion.

Linux Mint 13 - More stable, based on Ubuntu Precise Pangolin 12.04 LTS (Long Term Support).  I'm also more comfortable with the user interface in 13. The new Unity desktop and even the new Cinnamon are trying to to move too fast and incorporate too many changes from the tried and true IMO.

In truth, no matter the track record of any OS, there is no way to be sure that it is secure unless all of its source code is available for review and improvement. So, personally I would recommend fully free (open source) operating systems like Debian, Trisquel, gNewSense, and Parabola.
If you use one of those, you can be sure that what you think the software is doing is actually what it is doing. Keep in mind that the web and bitcoin would not exist except for the philosophical innovations of the free software movement (especially GNU). ::)

I used Ubuntu for several years, until they went with the Unity Desktop, which I hate.
If you are a Linux noob instead of of Ubuntu have a look at Linux Mint, which is still debian Ubuntu under the hood. Below is the list of distro I like for making the transition from Windoze.

Zorin OS (Debian)
http://zorin-os.com/
Manjaro (Arch)
http://manjaro.org/

I am running Manjaro on a VM and really liking it, but If you want have a more Windows like desktop Manjaro has a very simple clean UI and is very easy to use. I am anout to add it as a dual boot on my Windows PC. Zorin is the most polished of them all.

Running a live boot cd or a virtual machine to test various flavors of linux  is a very good idea. VirtualBox is a free program that is free and simple to use and try several distros, till you find one you like.

Safer than Windows for sure

Been using Lubuntu for 1 year and really enjoy this light-weight distribution.

Thanks for reminding me. I've been encountering less and less Java in browsing (maybe from change in browsing habits over the years). I think I can finally accept completely dumping it without exception.

Ubuntu is like the Windows of the linux distributions.

I've been using Debian since before the inception of Ubuntu, stable as hell!

no. Openbsd protected with laser-sharks, would be the most secure solution.

Yep I use Lubuntu on an old PC and it just flies.
I'd recommend it to anyone with old and outdated machines.

Some more distros you could try on old PCs are Linux Mint LXDE edition and Slitaz.
I've tried every distro I've suggested and any of the above distros is secure and can make your old rigs fly!

I think it is all about to boot a live untouched version of ANY OS without the Internet connection and to make cold wallet. Just make sure MD5 checksum of your live system matches (for paranoics).