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    Does Linux need an Antivirus?

    Discussion in 'Linux Compatibility and Software' started by Y570, Jul 15, 2012.

  1. Y570

    Y570 Notebook Geek

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    I know I could probably google this question but I want a more recent answer

    Do I need an antivirus in Linux or am I good to go without one?


    If I do need one, any good free antivirus for linux you can recommend?
     
    Y570, Jul 15, 2012
    #1
  2. Primes

    Primes Notebook Deity

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    No you don't need antivirus on linux. If your extremely paranoid, there are antivirus' you can install. once your up and running visit the software manager in your control menu and see what is available to install.
     
    Primes, Jul 15, 2012
    #2
  3. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    You'll be just fine without one.
     
    MidnightSun, Jul 15, 2012
    #3
  4. Rodster

    Rodster Merica

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    Just make sure you turn on the built in firewall and practice safe browsing habits and you'll be fine. Remember Linux is a more fragmented platform than Windows or OSX.

    And since Linux is open source and supported by the community any rouge malware will usually be caught pretty quick. Updates are plentiful on Linux so make sure it's up to date and you'll get daily notifications that updates are ready for download.
     
    Rodster, Jul 15, 2012
    #4
  5. ALLurGroceries

    ALLurGroceries  Vegan Vermin Super Moderator

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    ALLurGroceries, Jul 15, 2012
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  6. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    It's for this reason that I hope linux stays relatively obscure for the foreseable future, because it's pretty safe right now where viruses are concerned (not too many in the wild).
    I'm already running in "extra paranoid" mode (live session via write-protected thumb drive), but still.
     
    talin, Jul 15, 2012
    #6
  7. Rodster

    Rodster Merica

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    Like I said that's what's good about the Linux community. They police and take care of themselves and the community. It's like notifying a mod when a spammer post. :D
     
    Rodster, Jul 15, 2012
    #7
  8. JOSEA

    JOSEA NONE

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    JOSEA, Jul 15, 2012
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  9. ThinkRob

    ThinkRob Notebook Deity

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    Do not install anything outside of your distribution's repositories.

    No, really don't. Ignore that tutorial that says you should. When you read those forum posts that say "run this script" or "do these commands" don't do that unless you're damn sure of what you're doing. That company that's offering some freeware that you can download and install? Ignore them, don't use it.

    Stick solely with your distribution's packages, keep your system up to date, don't provide your user or root password to any application that you don't know *exactly* what it's doing, and you'll be relatively safe. Fail to heed this advice and you won't.
     
    ThinkRob, Jul 17, 2012
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  10. Roken911

    Roken911 Notebook Consultant

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    You want the short answer or long answer?

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
     
    Roken911, Jul 18, 2012
    #10
  11. annahussy

    annahussy Newbie

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    I would say that that You don't need an anti virus on Linux. If you using paranoid then It will be better option for you to no need to install the Linux operating system.
     
    annahussy, Jul 19, 2012
    #11