I'm pretty experienced with hacking. I actually have my own website but I can't give a link to it here because everyone in my "real life" will know I'm on steroids.
Step 1 of hacking a computer over a network connection is to perform a "port scan" on the victim computer. A port scan will give you a list of "open ports" on the computer being targeted.
Typically, a port scan on a fresh install of Microsoft Windows will reveal about 3 open ports. That's 3 ways you have of f***ing around with the computer and trying to gain access to it.
Once you've figured out which ports are open, you can run a piece of software such as "fast track" which automatically performs hacking attempts on the victim computer. When it has gained access, it will tell you, and you will have a choice of what way to control and interact with the victim computer.
Now here's the thing... if you port scan a default installation of Linux or Mac OS (which are both derived from the original Unix operating system), then there will be no open ports. This is the most important thing in preventing hacking of your system.
But let's say you need to have an open port on your computer because you have enabled something like File Sharing. On a Microsoft Windows computer, this leaves you WIDE OPEN for attack... and a diligent attacker will sooner or later gain access.
There are other ways of hacking a computer across a network, such as "client side" attacks. One common strategy is to place yourself between the victim computer and the router so that all traffic gets passed through your own computer. You can alter the traffic and change it to say stuff like "Your Flash player is too old to play this YouTube video, you need to upgrade" and then you can let the poor user download a trojan horse program to their PC.
Linux happens to be the operating system of choice for use by hackers... and who knows more about hacking than hackers? They are a close community who work together to ensure that their operating system is secure.
When an operating system, (or even just a normal program), has a flaw in it that allows it to be taken control of, its known in hacking as a vulnerability.Microsoft Windows has had several thousand vulnerabilities over the years, and more are discovered daily. I'm not exaggerating, they are discovered DAILY.
Linux, on the other hand, gets a vulnerability discovered about once a year, and it's Big Newswhen a vulnerability gets discovered because it happens so rarely.
Also, zimmy, you make a good point about Linux being "less attacked" than Microsoft Windows. All the trojan horses bouncing around the internet are designed to manipulate a Microsoft Windows machine. These trojan horse programs won't even run on Linux, nor an Apple Mac.
Linux is secure because it's secure, plain and simple, not simply because it hasn't been targeted as much by hackers.
This is false, and I know it's false because I tested it out myself with my own hacking tools. When I installed Ubuntu onto my laptop about 6 months back, I got a friend to come around with this computer and I tried everything I could to hack my Linux machine. First thing I did was port scan my laptop... and my laptop didn't even reply... it didn't even reply to say that ports were closed... it simply sat there silently and refused to communicate.
So let's say you want to hack my Linux laptop by using a "client side" attack... well you're gonna have to go find a trojan horse program that will actually run on Linux, and then you'll also have to be able to fool me into downloading and running an executable file.
Microsoft Windows has proven itself over two decades to be an insecure operating system. This is why Linux is by far the dominant operating system in security-critical fields; most internet web servers are running Linux.
I use Ubuntu and I love it. It's user-friendly, it's easy, and it's got everything I need and I want (I can type documents, do spreadsheets, burn DVD's, watch YouTube, download movies by BitTorrent).
Not gonna bother correcting all the inacuracies. There are way more than 3 open ports on windows default installs and about 5 on linux which btw is not unix at all. I'm glad you found something you like ...great. Glad you have a "hacking" web site. Not gonna tell you or anyone else my credentials. You think you are right, and I know I'm right. I graduated from script kiddie to in the know along time ago.