cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/17506000

I am not satisfied with Linux’s security and have been researching alternative open source OS for privacy and security So far only thing that’s ready to use is GrapheneOS (Based on Android) but that’s not available on desktop (Though when Android release Desktop mode it may become viable)

OpenBSD is more secure than Linux on a base level but lack mitigations and patches that are added to linux overtime and it’s security practices while good for it’s time is outdated now

RedoxOS (Written in Rust) got some nice ideas but sticks to same outdated practices and doesn’t break the wheel too much, and security doesn’t seems to be main focus of OS

Haiku and Serenity are outright worse than Linux, especially Haiku as it’s single user only

Serenity adopted Pledge and Unveil from OpenBSD but otherwise lacks basic security features

All new security paradigms seems to be happening in microkernels and these are the ones that caught my eyes

None of these are ready to be used as daily driver OS but in future (hopefully) it may change

Genode seems to be far ahead of game than everything else

Ironclad Written in ADA

Atmosphere And Mesosphere Open Source Re-implementation of Nintendo Switch’s Horizon OS, I didn’t expected this to be security-oriented but seems like Nintendo has done a very solid job

Then there are Managarm, HelenOS, Theseus but I couldn’t figure out how secure they are

Finally there is Kicksecure from creators of Whonix, Kicksecure is a linux distro that plans to fix Linux’s security problems

if you know of any other OS please share it here

  • echo64@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    I feel like a lot of this is driven by a bias towards the unknown. You don’t know all the security issues in something new or even something old that doesn’t get the same level of testing as Linux.

    I would trust security hardened Linux over all of the suggestions any day of the week. Better the devil you know.

    • SecuMiKern@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      0·
      7 months ago

      While that’s true for mitigations, one system can be more secure than another by design

      Things like an OS that’s designed with sandboxing, more clean codebase that’s auditable, permissions, … in mind is more secure than an OS that later adds them as an afterthought

      Or at least if added later they should be done properly

      iOS and Android are way more secure than Linux (And no Android isn’t just linux) cause they were designed in much later era with better security practices in mind

      Even MacOS and Windows’s security are objectively better than linux’s even though they started with same security mindset, the problem is they are not open source

      • echo64@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        7 months ago

        I think we have different definitions of security. Your definition may be more theoretically secure, in your mind, for the novel and interesting solutions. My definition is about a hardened, time-tested solution.

      • Bitrot@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        0·
        7 months ago

        Those things were “added later” to create iOS and Android, they aren’t from scratch systems. iOS especially shares a large portion of its code base with macOS (much of which is open source).