According to eBay's security chief, Linux – not Windows – is the preferred OS for spammers and phishers.

Dave Cullinane told Computerworld that eBay has done exhaustive analysis on the systems used by spammers and phishers, and found that most were Linux boxes infected with rootkits, not compromised Microsoft boxes. The announcement came – coincidentally, of course - at a Microsoft-sponsored security conference.

Symantec Security VP Afred Huger weighed in to say that Linux boxes are generally used to control botnets, but the actual bots are almost always Windows computers.

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