Surprised? Don’t be! As a Linux user, you aren’t 100% safe online. We (Linux users) were happy in the past thinking that running Ubuntu or Fedora would have saved us from an malware or any kind of infection, but that is not the case any-more. Today, due to the popularity and growth of Linux Operating Systems, Linux vulnerabilities may increase. We know that Windows pc’s had more vulnerabilities in comparison to any other Operating Systems, but as always prevention is better than cure.
Linux users are still safe compared to windows users but with the spreading of Opens source technology there will be a growth in the number of malware. Kapersky labs Claims, “The Growth in Linux malware is simply due to increasing popularity, particularly as a desktop Operating Systems” many users are switching to Linux. There are many new viruses and malware emerging over the internet which potentially have the ability to infect your Linux systems, Trojans and other rootkits are increasing day by day at an alarming rate.
However, with an intention of infecting your Linux based computer, a file extension which is recognized by Linux system, could be used such as .deb or .rpm package, on extraction or run this might cause problems. Linux is Open Source but you can’t actually rely on every software designed for it. However, you can still trust the software’s which are hosted by the official website, it is always a risk to run software’s which is not coded by and hosted on the same website but still a reliable site could assures you that it’s safe to download it. Always trust the software that you can find in the official repository of your Distribution, these packages are usually tested and checked regularly, in the past some repository have been hacked and infected, but this has been discovered quickly by the community.
You can also get an anti virus for Linux, this will help not only for Linux viruses but will help also to don’t spread around Windows viruses from a Linux box. In my view, 4 very famous and best Anti viruses for Linux are:
Bitdefender: This Anti-virus software promises to provide security against viruses, spywares, Trojans & rootkits. You can download it here .
Clamav Antivirus: Clamav Antivirus is one of the well-known and strong Linux based Anti virus software. Clamav Anti virus can be downloaded here . Select the suitable package for the distribution you are using: Ubuntu, Fedora or Mandriva and download the software.
AVG: AVG is a well-known Anti virus software vendor and they also provide the Linux version of Anti virus software. A free version for your Linux can be downloaded here .
Avast : Last but not the least. Avast has proven it’s capability as Anti virus software. It also provides the Linux version of the software and you can download the same here . Download includes 3 packages; you can either download it in DEB, RPM or in TAR.gz format.
