GerardThomas
New Member
Hello everyone I'm new to Linux and I'm wondering if someone could inform me as to why I don't need to have virus protection in Linux? I do use the internet for banking and such.
Thanks
Thanks
Security virus protection
- Thread starter GerardThomas
- Start date
You don't need it because you're going to be smart enough to not install dodgy software from dodgy sources and you're not going to let other people have your password to install software on your behalf.
Security isn't some application that may or may not have the right definitions to detect a piece of malware, security is a process of understanding risk and mitigating that with your behavior.
Does malware exist for Linux? Absolutely. Don't install it. If you don't know why your computer is asking you for a password (needed to install software), then don't type your password into the box. So long as you follow some pretty basic rules, you don't need additional protection.
Get your software from the official repositories. If it's not available in the repositories, make sure you go to the author's site and get the software directly from them. Don't install software you don't need. Don't just type your password because something asked for it - determine what's asking for it and why that something needs your password.
Security isn't some application that may or may not have the right definitions to detect a piece of malware, security is a process of understanding risk and mitigating that with your behavior.
Does malware exist for Linux? Absolutely. Don't install it. If you don't know why your computer is asking you for a password (needed to install software), then don't type your password into the box. So long as you follow some pretty basic rules, you don't need additional protection.
Get your software from the official repositories. If it's not available in the repositories, make sure you go to the author's site and get the software directly from them. Don't install software you don't need. Don't just type your password because something asked for it - determine what's asking for it and why that something needs your password.
OP
GerardThomas
New Member
Thanks very much
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
One piece of your OS that does need protection is your browser.
Your browser needs to be secure
Everyone's definition of a 'secure' browser will differ
I have used Linux without incident for the past 5 and a bit years
My browser is Firefox. I complement its natural security with various add ons
The addons which contribute to Security are :
Adblock Plus
Facebook Container
HTTPS Everywhere
LastPassMalwarebytes Browser Guard
The first line of defence is Linux itself...... Because Linux is less attractive to the money makers in the malware field. This may change to some extent as Linux becomes more popular. Nothing immediate,...linux has a long way to go
The second line is you. use the internet carelessly and you will reap the consequences. The majority of Linux users are careful enough.
The third is a secure browser. If there is ever going to be an incursion it will be via an unsecured/not up to date, browser. Some users will use add ons such as noscript. I regard this as overkill.
Your browser needs to be secure
Everyone's definition of a 'secure' browser will differ
I have used Linux without incident for the past 5 and a bit years
My browser is Firefox. I complement its natural security with various add ons
The addons which contribute to Security are :
Adblock Plus
Facebook Container
HTTPS Everywhere
LastPassMalwarebytes Browser Guard
The first line of defence is Linux itself...... Because Linux is less attractive to the money makers in the malware field. This may change to some extent as Linux becomes more popular. Nothing immediate,...linux has a long way to go
The second line is you. use the internet carelessly and you will reap the consequences. The majority of Linux users are careful enough.
The third is a secure browser. If there is ever going to be an incursion it will be via an unsecured/not up to date, browser. Some users will use add ons such as noscript. I regard this as overkill.
If I was a betting man, I would have bet that @KGIII and Brian @Condobloke would weigh in, and I was not disappointed, nor with their offerings.
G'day Gerard
Linux is all about choices, choices you can't find so easily in other OSes.
It's your choice to go with AV, your choice to go without.
You can see from my signature that I go without, and after 7 years actively with Linux, including relying on it for banking several times a week, I have not had a single security issue.
I'm just going to reboot into a different Linux and come back to this, but first I will move this Thread to our Linux Security subforum, where it is better served to be. Input providers and readers will be notified.
c u soon.
Wiz
G'day Gerard
Linux is all about choices, choices you can't find so easily in other OSes.
It's your choice to go with AV, your choice to go without.
You can see from my signature that I go without, and after 7 years actively with Linux, including relying on it for banking several times a week, I have not had a single security issue.
I'm just going to reboot into a different Linux and come back to this, but first I will move this Thread to our Linux Security subforum, where it is better served to be. Input providers and readers will be notified.
c u soon.
Wiz
If you would feel better with AV on your Linux, then, basically for many Linux options to Windows &c, make Alternative To your friend.
https://alternativeto.net
If you Google or other search engine the phrase
alternative to McAfee
you will see their link high in the rankings, and clicking it will provide you many options. Be sure you pick the ones that say Linux, and also "Load More Apps" at the bottom.
With one of the Linux mainstays, Clam (loved by some, hated by others), Clam AV is the command line version, and Clam TK is the GUI (point and click) version.
If you go down that path, I would advocate the use of Timeshift, so that you can roll back if you don't like an AV solution.
Cheers
Wizard
https://alternativeto.net
If you Google or other search engine the phrase
alternative to McAfee
you will see their link high in the rankings, and clicking it will provide you many options. Be sure you pick the ones that say Linux, and also "Load More Apps" at the bottom.
With one of the Linux mainstays, Clam (loved by some, hated by others), Clam AV is the command line version, and Clam TK is the GUI (point and click) version.
If you go down that path, I would advocate the use of Timeshift, so that you can roll back if you don't like an AV solution.
Cheers
Wizard
If one wants a prophylactic for their browser, µMatrix is basically an old-school firewall except it only works for the browser. There's a learning curve, but it negates the need for myriad browser security plugins. It's from the same guy that does µBlock Origin. It's available for all the major browsers.
I like uMatrix but I believe I read something yesterday alluding to development of uMatrix being halted.
I use NoScript and uBlock Origin. And a nice HOSTS file from MVPS HOSTS.
Blocking Unwanted Connections with a Hosts File
This article provides details on blocking Ads, Banners, Parasites, and Hijackers, web bugs, possibly unwanted programs etc. with a custom HOSTS file
winhelp2002.mvps.org
That would seriously suck. Then again, it's fairly feature-complete. Just ensuring that it works with new versions of the browser(s) might be the entirety of labor needed. I don't have tons of time, but I'd possibly throw some time at helping to keep that updated. There's usually enough lead time with the dev browser versions, so it might not be too pressing.
uMatrix development has ended - gHacks Tech News
Raymond Hill, known online as gorhill, has set the status of the uMatrix GitHub repository to archived; this means that it is read-only at the time and that no updates will become […]
www.ghacks.net
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Linux is meant to be enjoyed......not to become a burden to you.
Keep it simple.
Keep it simple.
That's what TAILS was created for.
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Tails Limitations
Tails doesn't make your crappy passwords stronger
Tor allows you to be anonymous online; Tails allows you to leave no trace on the computer you're using. But again, neither or both are magic spells for computer security.
If you use weak passwords, they can be guessed by brute-force attacks with or without Tails in the same way. To know if your passwords are weak and learn good practices to create better password, you can read Wikipedia: Weak Passwords.
Which is why I use LastPass. It works. Its simple
- Tails does not protect against compromised hardware
- Tails can be compromised if installed or plugged in untrusted systems
- Tails does not protect against BIOS or firmware attacks
- Tor exit nodes can eavesdrop on communications
- Tails makes it clear that you are using Tor and probably Tails
- Man-in-the-middle attacks
- Confirmation attacks
- Tails doesn't encrypt your documents by default
- Tails doesn't clear the metadata of your documents for you and doesn't encrypt the Subject: and other headers of your encrypted email messages
- Tor doesn't protect you from a global adversary
- Tails doesn't magically separate your different contextual identities
- Tails doesn't make your crappy passwords stronger
- Tails is a work in progress
Tails doesn't make your crappy passwords stronger
Tor allows you to be anonymous online; Tails allows you to leave no trace on the computer you're using. But again, neither or both are magic spells for computer security.
If you use weak passwords, they can be guessed by brute-force attacks with or without Tails in the same way. To know if your passwords are weak and learn good practices to create better password, you can read Wikipedia: Weak Passwords.
Which is why I use LastPass. It works. Its simple
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Where Brian @Condobloke and I came from nearly 3.5 years ago, a couple of fellows there used to use a Live CD/DVD to do their banking.
If it was a CD, you could put Puppy Linux on it, or a DVD, most any Linux of your choice other than openSUSE which does not provide for a Live scenario. Being read-only, nobody or nothing could write any nasties to it, and any data and passwords you entered into it while in session would vanish when you ejected or rebooted.
Again, not something I would use myself, but something you might consider.
Wizard
If it was a CD, you could put Puppy Linux on it, or a DVD, most any Linux of your choice other than openSUSE which does not provide for a Live scenario. Being read-only, nobody or nothing could write any nasties to it, and any data and passwords you entered into it while in session would vanish when you ejected or rebooted.
Again, not something I would use myself, but something you might consider.
Wizard
A long time ago (in a galaxy far away) we ran the OS off of DVD's. The only partitions on the hard drive were /etc /var and /home. That way we could change IP addresses, log errors, and upload things to our home directories, but nothing else could be changed. The libs, binaries and kernels were "locked" on the DVD. Some OS's have "immutable" releases, Fedora has something called silverblue.
You can add packages like mysql, postgres, apache/httpd, php, etc... but you can never update the OS.
It can't be patched or updated. The down side is... when a new security fix comes out, you can't update it. The up side is... you probably don't care, because no one can change your core OS, only your applications. (The applications can be updated and patched).
Way back in ye olden days, that was one of the first distros I tried. I also had a copy of RedHat that I used for a bit, but I settled on Mandrake (Mandriva to the younger folks) as my hobby OS. I had no choice but to use Windows as my main OS.
What's the deal with that URL?
