Antivirus for Linux - Linux Security - Chris Titus Tech
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Date: 2022-03-20
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Comments and reviews: 10
Grady
There is NOTHING inherently more secure about a POSIX based OS (Linux/Unix)
Linux on the desktop PC's has a low market-share (despite the kernel being everywhere) and if you're a virus designer, you need to pick a platform and that's gonna be the one with the largest target size, Windows. The second reason Linux and Unix aren't targeted too much is that its user base tends to be savvy enough with systems administration to make them a terrible target for a virus.
The thing is though, viruses aren't really the -thing- anymore. Intrusion and data theft are the more pressing concern. Attacks are seeking PID (personal info data) that have value to the attacker. For Linux-y people that means getting to know firewalls and how to use them. The upside to that is, that its super EZmode to learn even for end users, the tools are simple
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There is NOTHING inherently more secure about a POSIX based OS (Linux/Unix)
Linux on the desktop PC's has a low market-share (despite the kernel being everywhere) and if you're a virus designer, you need to pick a platform and that's gonna be the one with the largest target size, Windows. The second reason Linux and Unix aren't targeted too much is that its user base tends to be savvy enough with systems administration to make them a terrible target for a virus.
The thing is though, viruses aren't really the -thing- anymore. Intrusion and data theft are the more pressing concern. Attacks are seeking PID (personal info data) that have value to the attacker. For Linux-y people that means getting to know firewalls and how to use them. The upside to that is, that its super EZmode to learn even for end users, the tools are simple
reply
gilkesisking
Reasons to run Antivirus programs in Linux.... to protect Windows uses.
There's a valid argument, that will be endlessly debated, that running one on a Linux desktop is more of a security risk than not running one at all as it opens up another attack vector. To be effective they need root access, a program, process, with elevated privileges would be the first thing an attacker would target. Linux is secure by design but can't protect against the user doing something they shouldn't.
Anyone interested in hardening their Linux desktop should look into -firejail- a -sandbox- for running apps that connect to the internet like browsers/torrent clients.
Being a Linux user I say this.. if people want to run Windows its their responsibility to protect themselves not yours lol. ( unless you're running a server )
reply
Reasons to run Antivirus programs in Linux.... to protect Windows uses.
There's a valid argument, that will be endlessly debated, that running one on a Linux desktop is more of a security risk than not running one at all as it opens up another attack vector. To be effective they need root access, a program, process, with elevated privileges would be the first thing an attacker would target. Linux is secure by design but can't protect against the user doing something they shouldn't.
Anyone interested in hardening their Linux desktop should look into -firejail- a -sandbox- for running apps that connect to the internet like browsers/torrent clients.
Being a Linux user I say this.. if people want to run Windows its their responsibility to protect themselves not yours lol. ( unless you're running a server )
reply
kaluq
I agree that a 2% market share is really low, but I would think that those 2% make up a significant portion of the world's computing power. I mean think about it, all 500 of the 500 fastest supercomputers around the world all use GNU/Linux, and so do Google's servers, Amazon's servers, Facebook's servers, Twitter, Yahoo, NASA, CERN, Intel, IBM, NSA, etc. Why wouldn't anyone tap into that much energy/resource/power? Imagine mining bitcoin with any of these servers that you don't own. It would be like making a lot of money out of almost nothing other than skills and patience. (not that I'm suggesting that anyone do it)
It's like saying, -Well, the super rich only make up 2% of the population, why would anyone try to steal from them when low and middle class population makes up 98%??-
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I agree that a 2% market share is really low, but I would think that those 2% make up a significant portion of the world's computing power. I mean think about it, all 500 of the 500 fastest supercomputers around the world all use GNU/Linux, and so do Google's servers, Amazon's servers, Facebook's servers, Twitter, Yahoo, NASA, CERN, Intel, IBM, NSA, etc. Why wouldn't anyone tap into that much energy/resource/power? Imagine mining bitcoin with any of these servers that you don't own. It would be like making a lot of money out of almost nothing other than skills and patience. (not that I'm suggesting that anyone do it)
It's like saying, -Well, the super rich only make up 2% of the population, why would anyone try to steal from them when low and middle class population makes up 98%??-
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Brad
Since this is called -security- and not just -anti virus- I'll mention one important point overlooked here: DO NOT install dev tools on a production server! You always build your packages on another machine and move those packages to the production machine. Dev tools open up countless attack vectors. I mention this only because it's now so easy for unsophisticated users to deploy their own servers using tools like AWS.
Nothing is completely secure. There was a worm in the early days of linux that replicated itself across thousands of production servers before it was contained. There are still virii that can replicate via web servers, but the end goal of those is still to infect Windows machines via the browser.
reply
Since this is called -security- and not just -anti virus- I'll mention one important point overlooked here: DO NOT install dev tools on a production server! You always build your packages on another machine and move those packages to the production machine. Dev tools open up countless attack vectors. I mention this only because it's now so easy for unsophisticated users to deploy their own servers using tools like AWS.
Nothing is completely secure. There was a worm in the early days of linux that replicated itself across thousands of production servers before it was contained. There are still virii that can replicate via web servers, but the end goal of those is still to infect Windows machines via the browser.
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Chris
You need to be careful of java script, php, java, and some others. that is another hole that can be over looked. SE can help cover the holes, but if you do a lot of browsing, or host a public facing site, you really need something. Clam AV is good, just as Windows Defender is good. For something a bit more robust, SOPHOS has worked really well for me for the past 3 years, It is a set/forget, doesn't chew up resources, works VERY well with SE, and easy to maintain.
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You need to be careful of java script, php, java, and some others. that is another hole that can be over looked. SE can help cover the holes, but if you do a lot of browsing, or host a public facing site, you really need something. Clam AV is good, just as Windows Defender is good. For something a bit more robust, SOPHOS has worked really well for me for the past 3 years, It is a set/forget, doesn't chew up resources, works VERY well with SE, and easy to maintain.
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Johnny
Yup, there is no known cases of a computer virus capable of replicating itself running on Linux or MacOS because of the inherent security built into Unix systems. The virus would need root access to your system in order to replicate, but in order to get your password it would also need install a keylogger, which it also needs root access for, making it almost impossible for a Virus to work unless the user themselves gives up their root password to the virus.
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Yup, there is no known cases of a computer virus capable of replicating itself running on Linux or MacOS because of the inherent security built into Unix systems. The virus would need root access to your system in order to replicate, but in order to get your password it would also need install a keylogger, which it also needs root access for, making it almost impossible for a Virus to work unless the user themselves gives up their root password to the virus.
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Silver
I am curious as I am currently debating getting a Linux computer. If I were to import a large number of pictures and mp3/4s from a Windows machine that, due to other users, I am unsure of how well its currently doing, along with potentially downloading a sizable number which may mean interfacing with users using Windows machines, what would be suggested? It would be my first and Im thinking of using Mint but dont know where to go for that as of posting.
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I am curious as I am currently debating getting a Linux computer. If I were to import a large number of pictures and mp3/4s from a Windows machine that, due to other users, I am unsure of how well its currently doing, along with potentially downloading a sizable number which may mean interfacing with users using Windows machines, what would be suggested? It would be my first and Im thinking of using Mint but dont know where to go for that as of posting.
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ChadatWork
I was using Fedora and had Sophos installed. I was visiting a grapefruit web site and Sophos blocked a drive-by infection, which one gets simply by looking at the web site.
1. I wouldn't have even been aware of it had I not had an anti-virus installed.
2. I was using Linux.
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I was using Fedora and had Sophos installed. I was visiting a grapefruit web site and Sophos blocked a drive-by infection, which one gets simply by looking at the web site.
1. I wouldn't have even been aware of it had I not had an anti-virus installed.
2. I was using Linux.
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itech
I don't do anything windows. Never installed or used an Anti-Virus app. in Linux. I have been using GNU/Linux as my daily driver for 16 years and I never got a virus.
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I don't do anything windows. Never installed or used an Anti-Virus app. in Linux. I have been using GNU/Linux as my daily driver for 16 years and I never got a virus.
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Bez
It's not just 2% of the market. It's also who's in that market. Who's easier to hack? A system admin on Ubuntu or my 85 year old grandmother on her windows XP machine.
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It's not just 2% of the market. It's also who's in that market. Who's easier to hack? A system admin on Ubuntu or my 85 year old grandmother on her windows XP machine.
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