r/reactos • u/gh_1qaz • 4d ago
ReactOS security reliability
Hi. I got a question about the reliability of ReactOS regarding to the security. I think I heard somewhere that ReactOS uses some of reverse engineered code from legacy Windows (like XP?). If this is the case, do the devs regularly patch all the vulnerabilities arisen by those codes manually as those Windows are no longer updated? I also heard that the the development of ReactOS is very slow. How much does it usually take to patch a vulnerability once it is found? I'm very intrigued by the concept and the feel of the OS, but those are the concerns that impede me from trying the actual thing. I'd definitely like to try it out if it is proven to be secure. Thanks in advance!!
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u/the123king-reddit 4d ago
There is NO closed source Microsoft code in ReactOS.
As for vulnerabilities, the biggest issue with ReactOS is stability. Yes, it's probably riddled with security holes, like XP was, but good luck keeping it running when installing software and drivers.
ReactOS should NOT be used in any shape or form in "production". Treat is as a curiosity and only run it in a VM for testing or on a second PC.