Open source software can best be described by identifying its advantages and disadvantages over closed source software. The definition of open source software is any computer software whose source code and documentation is available to study, change, modify, and to redistribute by its user. There are many differences between open and closed source software including cost of ownership, intellectual property rights, and development methods. System security, however, can be the most critical difference when comparing the two.
The act of making source code public may at first seem to be a mistake in creating a secure system, however as this model is evaluated it becomes clear that it is in fact more secure. By releasing the source code of any software it allows anyone to dig into it and find hacks and vulnerabilities. Initially this may be an advantage closed source has over its open source rival. As systems become compromised and patches are needed open source systems are better prepared to combat such attacks. Open source systems have a wealth of resources available to begin work on patches. The open source community is generally more proactive in finding and addressing system issues and vulnerabilities. With closed source many times only a single software company has the ability to access and fix their own code with no external or independent quality assurances. Closed source software developers can fall into a false sense of security thinking that their code will never be seen by external or unauthorized personnel. This type of thinking can lead to massive security flaws within their code, and a lowered sense of urgency in addressing such flaws. Inevitably source code does get leaked or exposed, and in those cases closed source systems become highly vulnerable.
There are also some disadvantages in using open source software over closed source. There exists the possibility that using the open source community development model a hacker could introduce malicious code containing backdoors disguised as a helpful update. Although it is likely that several independent parties will review the code for any particular open source project, there is no guarantee that these parties will be highly qualified. The programmers themselves may not be the most qualified either. There are no set guidelines for certification levels required in most open source projects for the contributing personnel.