Open refers to more than just open to modification and sharing of the software. Open, in open source software, also means that the code is openly viewable for both personal and public scrutiny. Consumers should not overlook the significance of this openness to review. Any user can potentially check the software code. More importantly, if there is enough interest in the software to reach a critical mass, a large community of software developers will view it. If there are security risks found in open source software they can alert the public to the problem. The public entity who owns the software is almost always looking out for the user’s best interest when developing it.

Open source code protects the user against malicious spyware and viruses because they are easy to spot. More evasive are the accidental bugs and vulnerabilities that can occur in any software. The open source community usually identifies these problems rapidly when the software has reached critical mass. Open source software can also give the user peace of mind. Knowing the code is open to public review by software developers gives the user more confidence that it is less likely to be harmful. Any user can personally view the code to make sure there are no security risks that may affect their own intellectual properties before implementing a program. There is a controversy in the software industry over whether the open source environment or the proprietary environment is a more secure place for software development.