Help with Anti-Virus - noob

1bit

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Hello

I have decided to make the jump to Linux, I followed instructions off various websites to install Sophos, turns out the one ive installed must be for servers as it has no GUI... can anybody please tell me:-

A) How to uninstall it?

B) How do I install ANY decent anti-virus that has a GUI just as if it was in Windows?

As I say Im a noob so go easy

thanks in advance
 


You don't need an antivirus in Linux for the simple reason all malicious software is designed to work in a Windows environment and even if you "catch cold" somewhere along the way, it will just stay in Linux without being able to do anything to the system. A proper analogy would be a car without tires - without tires the car can't go anywhere and so can't the malware without Windows.
 
B) How do I install ANY decent anti-virus that has a GUI just as if it was in Windows?
Hello 1bit and welcome to the forum.

Perhaps this will explain about antivirus.
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/security.html


This would be better choice for someone new to Linux imo.

Linux Mint 19.1

https://linuxmint.com/download.php

https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/choose.html

https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
 
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The only security thing I use on Linux is a firewall called ufw.
If u use a Debian based distro just type in:
sudo apt install ufw gufw
Then you can activate and use this firewall via a gui.
On other distros you must use another packetmanager then apt, for example yum or pacman.
You Propably have to start an enable ufw
sudo systemctl enable ufw.service
sudo systemctl start ufw.service
 
Dont make your PC life any more complex than you have to.

I have used Linux for the last 4+ years ....with no AV, with no dramas at all.

Linux is not windows.

Linux only occupies a tiny percentage of the overall market. Malware authors have far better things to do, and far easier targets

Clam AV etc etc are a pita.

Which distro are you using ?...linux mint ?
 
While the guys above are correct, they really only make malware for Windows, that's not all of it. They don't try to make it for Linux because it's not as easy as it is for Windows. While it's true that more users use Windows for their desktops, many enterprises use Linux for their servers. So it would be profitable for them to write them for Linux, it's just very difficult because of the built in security. The malware has to be installed to run. You can't just install crap on Linux like you can Windows. And the software we do install from official repositories are open source so people can see the code and spot things like malware. It won't hurt to have an AV, but it's definitely not required like it is for Windows and Android. If it makes you feel better, or you dual boot and want to check your Windows partition, ClamAV is probably the best and easiest AV on Linux to use. I installed it once to check on Windows.
 
many thanks for the replies and welcome :)

I cant find the page with the instructions on for the Sophos install that I used, it was two lines of code, I just know its some sort of server anti-virus that runs silently, it said I was protected in terminal but thats all I know, guess I will just have to reinstall the OS to get rid of it, I use Ubunutu Studio, I dont want to switch to MINT (my dad uses that), I want to stay with Studio as I use lots of Music, Photo and Video software. Both me and my dad are wanting to switch from Windows to Linux (he's gone with Mint), when it comes to Windows Iam competent and can build & repair systems, but Iam inexperienced with Linux and looking to change that.

I understand that the risk of infection is very low compared to windows, however, I still wish to have an Anti-Virus installed for good measure, I have a Quad-Core 3.6Ghz Intel CPU and 12GB DDR3 RAM with a Samsung SSD.
 
@1bit ... irrespective of where you are at with installing/reinstalling, when you have successfully completed the job, both you and your Dad should enable your firewalls.

For both Ubuntu and Mint you can open Terminal with Ctrl-Alt-t .

Then type and enter

Code:
sudo ufw enable

Your firewall will be activated in real time (the current session) and a small script is generated which will run at every boot/reboot to keep it in place.

Wizard
 
@1bit ... irrespective of where you are at with installing/reinstalling, when you have successfully completed the job, both you and your Dad should enable your firewalls.

For both Ubuntu and Mint you can open Terminal with Ctrl-Alt-t .

Then type and enter

Code:
sudo ufw enable

Your firewall will be activated in real time (the current session) and a small script is generated which will run at every boot/reboot to keep it in place.

Wizard
That's nor always the case on most distros (and on one of my Ubuntu installations) you have to enable the ufw.service your own.
Also just enabling your firewall does not help, you also have to set a mode using for example gufw.
See my reply
 
Not so fast, Young Sorcerer (@Peer ) :)

Code:
sudo ufw enable

#and

sudo ufw disable

are more powerful than the systemctl enable/start ufw.service commands.

Try

Code:
sudo ufw disable

and then see if you can enable and start ufw.service, and if you reboot, you will still find them inactive, until you use

Code:
sudo ufw enable

Also just enabling your firewall does not help...

Yes it does, at a base level

Code:
chris@Tara-MATE:~$ sudo ufw status verbose
[sudo] password for chris:        
Status: active
Logging: on (low)
Default: deny (incoming), allow (outgoing), disabled (routed)
New profiles: skip

You can add new rules as you go along, to tighten up security.

That's nor always the case on most distros...

Define "most distros". I run about 90, and about 80 of them probably utilise ufw, the rest have their own firewalls.

But we won't derail the OP's Thread here, we can open a Thread in Security to discuss further, soon. :D

Cheers all

Wizard
 
Just to perhaps make my reasoning clear....

Installing an AV slows any PC down.

Linus Torvalds does not use one

I use Timeshift, and also Clonezilla....the Snapshots and Backups respectively, are kept on external Hard drives.

Respectfully, I am telling you that the threat of virus' is so close to being zero. Please try and leave the windows mentality behind you.

The greatest threat in Linux comes via the browser. (and the user, but that is another story).....a well secured browser will keep you very safe.

I use Firefox, with various add ons. Namely.... https everywhere....ublock origin......Malwarebytes.

I have been tempted to use ...no script.....but have found it tedious.

Linux is primarily about putting you in charge. Not an AV, with all its inherent telemetry etc
 
I am 110% with Brian above, and not just because we are both Aussies or he's me Mate :)

I have been using Linux exclusively for 5 years in August (apart from now having a new Dell that has Win 10 :mad:) and never had a tickle from The Nasties.

The last virus that got me (under Windows) briefly before I nailed it was called W32SirCam, note that W32 means Windows 32-bit. Microsoft introduced Visual Basic (VB), which is effectively like a medical laboratory's petrie dish for breeding vulnerabilities to viruses.

Linux does not use VB so it is inherently safer to begin with.

That being said, @1bit has asked about AV solutions.

Latest I have seen (2019) is here

https://www.safetydetective.com/blog/best-really-free-antivirus-for-linux/

... and it also links to non-free options.

Cheers

Wizard
 
I did my activation and configuration via gufw because it's much easyer to use then the command prompt and has pre-configured rules for different uses.
@wizardfromoz
 
That's OK Peer - I was not saying that your methods were incorrect. I was saying that ufw, and by association, its GUI frontend gufw, are extremely easy to use. That it works, and it only takes 3 words - sudo ufw enable - to activate it.

You can't get much simpler than that. Using the terminal or using the GUI ... matter of choice. ufw applies to both systemd and sysvinit environments, and so covers a wider range of options in terms of Distros used. It was invented by, and copyrighted to Canonical, makers of Ubuntu, but can be applied across the other Linux Families - RPM, Arch, Gentoo &c.

But as I said earlier

But we won't derail the OP's Thread here, we can open a Thread in Security to discuss further, soon. :D


Cheers

Wizard
 
While I agree you need a firewall, just saying to enable it isn't enough. Users will most likely find the default configuration too restrictive and then just turn it off and leave it off. So read up on Linux security. There are some things that security experts suggest, here's 1 article that contains some good things to modify. But the article is for servers, so you can't follow ever suggestion, like don't uninstall Gnome or KDE. You don't want a desktop with no desktop, hehehehe. https://www.linux.com/learn/how-make-your-linux-server-more-secure.

And don't just take our word for not needing AV. Do some searches online for yourself. There's a world of information out there. And reading up on it is the best way to increase your knowledge of Linux.

Here's another good article https://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-security.html, but you can skip 9 and 10. It's already been proven that changing your password doesn't not make your password more secure. It just aggravates people and makes them more likely to write it down, which is way more insecure than keeping 1 password forever.
 
thanks for the input guys :)

I would like to install one even if its just so I know HOW TO for future reference.

Which is the best Linux magazine for noobs and is there a recommended website that teaches noobs about linux and how to use it?

Im enjoying the customazibilty of it...much better than windows, its also super fast at booting (6 seconds) and uses only 4% of 12GB RAM (windows uses 35-40% and 50% with browser open)
 
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