Security issues surrounding the use of open source software by online students

Abstract

This study investigates the security issues related to the use of open source software by students in online education. Research studies and common wisdom contend that open source software, by having being developed and continuously updated by numerous knowing experts, is more secure and less prone to hacking attacks. Using a systematic three-step approach, this study surveys journal and conference proceedings articles that deal with the security of using open source software in education in general and online education in particular. The open source software most commonly used by online students are identified and the articles on the security of using them are categorized. It is discovered that not very many articles are dedicated to purely online education, but conclusions can be drawn from them that answer the study's research questions. The articles and studies that are investigated report that open source software are indeed more secure and more quickly patched than their proprietary counterpart. Online students are also found to be not any more vulnerable than their onsite counterparts. The studies surveyed, however, indicate that the institutions and educators are the ones who should pay particular attention to their use of open-source software in their online education activities.