I am operating system agnostic so I don't have a drum to beat on this one way or another. I happen to use Linux for a lot of things and just consider it like anything else, a useful tool in the bag.
Mac and Windows PCs can be made "secure", if such an idea exists but I am getting to the point where when I travel, I only will use a Linux laptop. Unix is fine too but I just don't happen to use it. For example it is superior to Linux for big-iron server farms.
In their default installations with some of the more popular Linux distributions they still need to be customized. For example with the common Linux distros, laptop screen dimming has not be fixed out of the box. With a variety of vendors you have to do some grub customization for the keyboard function switches to dim the screen.
Silly, but true.
You will have a disaster on your hands if you deploy a bunch of these without that fix in place; as well as some other land mines.
Once you get a Linux laptop setup the way you want it; image it.
It also makes your travel laptop efforts disposable. And, when you travel, only put data on the computer that you won't mind if it gets compromised. Encrypted hard-drive or no. CAC card or no.
What to really go crazy? Travel with the drive wiped. When you get to your destination, image the PC from a thumb drive or run it off of a thumb drive. Traveling home? Wipe the drive depending on the security risks.
That in no way covers all the travel security issues but one more thing about Linux is that for the most part, you don't have to deal with software licenses when deploying a lot of computers.
Because I am a geek, I don't mind dealing with Linux and have come to like it over the last 12 years.
That, doesn't make it superior for every scenario.
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