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Post by twp on Apr 18, 2022 11:30:06 GMT -6
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Post by drhenley on Apr 18, 2022 11:31:49 GMT -6
Have you ever had a Linux virus?
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Post by wolfbrother on Apr 18, 2022 15:27:38 GMT -6
Good question
As opposed to Microsloth, how prevalent are Linux viruii?
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Post by twp on Apr 18, 2022 15:58:55 GMT -6
The traditional POV is that Linux is less targeted by those who write virus software... Traditionally.
One reason for this POV is that there are fewer Linux systems running, hence fewer reasons to attack Linux.
In the past that might have had more veracity, but the number of Linux systems continues to grow, making the attack target larger.
When I run ClamAV scans on my system (every couple of days, taking a couple of hours, running in the background), I get 15-20 alerts on possible virus code. MOST of those are aimed specifically at Windows/Micro$oft systems. Still, I do investigate these reports and if the danger is high, I will purge the flagged files. I also update the virus profile database EVERY DAY, which takes about 5 minutes
So, the answer is: Yes, I have been hit with Linux virus code, but it is still fairly rare; every couple of months, on average.
One caveat, some of the code is the result of simply bad code writers who think that they can include snippets of faulty code into their software. I can't stop those bad writers from coding badly. I can purge them when their code matches one of the virus profiles.
I think there are malefactors who DO write virus code which targets Linux code. Hence I have an antivirus scanner installed on my system.
"It's a jungle out there..."
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Post by drhenley on Apr 19, 2022 21:21:58 GMT -6
When you say you've "been hit with Linux virus code" does that mean your computer was actually infected, or that the antivirus just found virus code in a file? You can have malware in a file somewhere that never infects the computer.
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Post by drhenley on Apr 19, 2022 21:31:06 GMT -6
Good question As opposed to Microsloth, how prevalent are Linux viruii? Not very. It is said that there aren't many Linux viruses because not as many people use Linux, but this ignores all the many many servers running Linux all over the world that present a target rich environment. I ran several Linux servers along with Windows servers for a number of years. Our corporate firewalls were Linux boxes running Ubuntu. From what I read, there has never been a widespread Linux virus, worm, or other form of malware the way that there have been Windows viruses that spread like wildfire all over the world. There have been Linux vulnerabilities that some malware authors targeted, but the damage was limited.
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Post by twp on Apr 20, 2022 11:52:30 GMT -6
When you say you've "been hit with Linux virus code" does that mean your computer was actually infected, or that the antivirus just found virus code in a file? You can have malware in a file somewhere that never infects the computer. Yes, I mean that my antivirus scanner detected a profile which matched a known LINUX virus. Actual damage to my system was negligible and that was several years ago and several Linux versions ago. My opinion is that I'm not in much danger from any specific Linux targeted virus. I say that with my tongue firmly planted in cheek because that could come back to bite me at any time, hence I have both an antivirus scanner and a Linux firewall. Better safe than sorry.
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