Solved Antivirus for Linux?

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davinci74

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Hello community. Is it necessary to have to use an antivirus, vpn, etc for protection?? I have Linux mint cinnamon 22 installed as duel/multi boot
 


No AV necessary.

why?....

https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/security.html ....read it thoroughly.

An extremely short summary of the best security practice in Linux Mint is this:
  • Use good passwords.
  • Install updates as soon as they become available.
  • Only install software from the official software sources of Linux Mint and Ubuntu.
  • Don't install antivirus (yes, really!).
  • Don't install Windows emulators like Wine.
  • Enable the firewall.
  • Above all: use your common sense.


a. Antivirus is useless
A virus or rootkit can't install itself in Linux unless you let it. In order to install itself on your computer, a virus or rootkit needs your password. And that it doesn't have.

Or in case it's malware ( a script) that can execute itself in your home directory without password: you'll have to make it executable first. Any script that you download, is not executable: you have to set the executable bit of the script yourself, by hand.

Late in Australia.
Snooze time for me.
 
you don't need one but as I tell people if it makes you feel better install one. What can happen is a linux machine can pass on a windows virus to a windows machine. If your on a network with windows machines it a good Idea. But it not needed really for linux Rkhunter is good to have though.
I might add rkhunter is in the Debian repository so most likely in other deb derivatives.
 
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I advise to not install any AV on your Linux. If there is a concern about passing on a virus to a Windows machine, then use the online virus total to scan the file.

Read the link in post #2. That website is authored by the Mint forum member Pjotr; he knows his stuff.
 
The most important point in that link I inserted above is to enable the firewall

sudo ufw enable

copy and paste it into terminal and hit enter.

That's it.

You can check that it is turned on with the following command

sudo ufw status verbose

copy that and paste it into terminal and hit enter

There is no need to constantly check.....the firewall survives reboots and shutdowns etc...it even survives Timeshift restores.
 
The most important point in that link I inserted above is to enable the firewall

sudo ufw enable

copy and paste it into terminal and hit enter.

That's it.

You can check that it is turned on with the following command

sudo ufw status verbose

copy that and paste it into terminal and hit enter

There is no need to constantly check.....the firewall survives reboots and shutdowns etc...it even survives Timeshift restores.
that was great advice Condobloke. firewall is on and status is active. that was cool as a icecube. I enjoy learning all these prompts and i am saving them, trying to memorize those commands. Is there somewhere that i can study and learn all the prompts????
 
Most beginners will start with a note pad and pencil, they write down terminal codes they see [and what they do] some will just log them as they find them, and some people will disseminate into sections,,for future use
 
If you want a gui for the firewall it is called Gufw and is available in Mint's repos (and it might already come installed, not sure).
 
If you want a gui for the firewall it is called Gufw and is available in Mint's repos (and it might already come installed, not sure).
On mint Cinnamon it come pre installed. In debian you have to install it. Not sure about others.
 
@davinci74 :-

A-yup. I concur with m'colleagues here. Although we don't use ufw/gufw in the 'Puppy' Linux community - we instead use a modified iptables + GUI 'frontend' developed by Eric Hameleers (the well-known "AlienBob" of the Slackware community) - a firewall is all you need in Linux on a day-to-day basis.

The other thing, of course, is that it never hurts to develop sensible browsing habits (the browser is where 99% of 'nasties' come in); don't visit 'dodgy' websites, don't click on suspicious links. Etc, etc.

As @kc1di says, there ARE Linux AV suites out there. It's entirely up to you; if you feel happier having one installed, then install one. We in Puppyland have a self-contained, standalone, 'portable' build of ClamAV, which many of us use for occasional, one-off scans if we're not sure about summat.

But the firewall is a must.

I enjoy learning all these prompts and i am saving them, trying to memorize those commands. Is there somewhere that i can study and learn all the prompts????

Most beginners will start with a note pad and pencil, they write down terminal codes they see [and what they do] some will just log them as they find them, and some people will disseminate into sections,,for future use

...and as you use stuff more & more often, you'll soon find you're starting to remember these commands, and begin to use them yourself WITHOUT being 'prompted' by others. It's all part of the "learning curve"......which ain't as steep as many like to make out!


Mike. ;)
 
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I rum clamav on my mailserver :cool:
 
Try the GUI of UFW with this command:
# apt-get install gufw
you will never look back, excellent GUI
 
Despite what anyone says here, Linux can get infected by viruses and malware but chances are lower of it happening.

 
I don't recall seeing anybody here say it can't happen.
True. Maybe I'm getting the impression most people in this topic seem to think that you can't get infected by a virus or malware on Linux, based on their reaction. I just wanted to make clear in case others coming across this topic don't get the same impression. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
In your wikipedia link there is this (quoting some security expert):

...some Linux machines definitely need anti-virus software. Samba or NFS servers, for instance, may store documents in undocumented, vulnerable Microsoft formats, such as Word and Excel, that contain and propagate viruses. Linux mail servers should run AV software in order to neutralize viruses before they show up in the mailboxes of Outlook and Outlook Express users.

Note it says "servers" and "mail servers." The average desktop user of Linux just doesn't need an AV. :)
 
In your wikipedia link there is this (quoting some security expert):



Note it says "servers" and "mail servers." The average desktop user of Linux just doesn't need an AV. :)
shrug, for your average user, Windows in VM will do. Or dual booting and file exchange.
 
Most beginners will start with a note pad and pencil, they write down terminal codes they see [and what they do] some will just log them as they find them, and some people will disseminate into sections,,for future use
Guess what? Great minds think alike. I've been taking notes and writing down the cmd prompts and other things.
 

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