Questions about Defragging or Antivirus? Look here first!

[Prescottech]

Don't give a user root privilages, and they can't hurt anything

[elzapmut]

Probably not related to defragging or antivirus, but would help newbies visualise an image of the structure that windows and linux has. Illustrates the security levels and flaws each could have. Though, it's a little bit biased but in both ways in different parts of the argument.

Great!

[grey1960envoy]

Probably not related to defragging or antivirus, but would help newbies visualise an image of the structure that windows and linux has. Illustrates the security levels and flaws each could have. Though, it's a little bit biased but in both ways in different parts of the argument.

Great!

Yes I deeply agree with that. They really have learned a lot about the Windows and Linux functions and their compatibilities. It is essential also to have an anti-virus in our computer.

I've been running Linux Mint and various other distros for nearly a year and still do not have an active AV none have been warranted so less is good

[Elisa]

I don't how the others but I am not sure what do u mean "linux window"?

[Dave Ganasson]

I don't how the others but I am not sure what do u mean "linux window"?

Try and be sensible Elisa

[sss]

I read the first two pages but I still have some confusion regarding viruses. That was a very broad discussion on need of antivirus in linux.
But I am looking for very specific and narrowed down answers to the following point.

I am using Mint 10 Julia dvd edition 32 bit and have updates installed. In addition to that I have installed chromium & adobe flash through software manager, & also nvidia properiety driver.
I do not intend to install any other software. I dont know how to use wine & wont be using it. I intend to update system only upto first two safe levels.
I just want to surf web and store and watch videos & pics online & through usb & dvd drives & use open office. All the required software is installed by default in Mint.
I have firewall enabled in router.
Do I still need an on-demand virus scanner as suggested? Is there a good chance or very low or almost no chance to get infected by virus or trojans keeping in mind
the very few or limited uses I will be putting Mint to? Please clear my confusion.

[maverickjesterx]

I read the first two pages but I still have some confusion regarding viruses. That was a very broad discussion on need of antivirus in linux.
But I am looking for very specific and narrowed down answers to the following point.

I am using Mint 10 Julia dvd edition 32 bit and have updates installed. In addition to that I have installed chromium & adobe flash through software manager, & also nvidia properiety driver.
I do not intend to install any other software. I dont know how to use wine & wont be using it. I intend to update system only upto first two safe levels.
I just want to surf web and store and watch videos & pics online & through usb & dvd drives & use open office. All the required software is installed by default in Mint.
I have firewall enabled in router.
Do I still need an on-demand virus scanner as suggested? Is there a good chance or very low or almost no chance to get infected by virus or trojans keeping in mind
the very few or limited uses I will be putting Mint to? Please clear my confusion.

Anti virus on any system is never a bad idea. It does not matter how much a community is stating that their system is virus free. Linux is great and compared to Windows it is paradise. However you have to beware of things like root kits and clicking on "things" that you should not click on. This applies to any OS. ClamAV is a good solution.

Bottom line. If you are worried about getting a virus on Linux Mint...Don't but don't be careless either. If you download videos or photo's from the internet then virus's can be embedded so it never hurts to scan before you click.

[RubenAlonzo]

Great info, thank you Kaye!

[neernitt]

THANKS NEED THOSE answers

[blueXrider]

Thanks for the information

[Tannn3r]

If you had told me this years ago, I would have gotten Linux sooner. It seems with Windows you can't trust everything and everyone. Just before I installed Mint, a friend of mine got a rootkit virus on Windows. I then ended up looking at this topic and installed Mint.

[sabto]

yup if I using windows, I have some problem about virus, trojan, worm and others.
so when I look linux mint, I change my OS with Linux and alhamdulillah I dont have virus problem

[Oscar799]

Wish I knew what that post said.

[PussyCat]

Late on the debate here!

It's almost the second anniversary of OP and one of the arguments for not "needing" antivirus was that Linux is only on about 10% of machines worldwide (presumably as main o/s) and therefore not an attractive target to mischevious beings. I just wonder if the balance may have changed slightly with the advent of Android mobiles and tablets. Android, of course, sits on a Linux kernel. Are Android apps (apk files) Javascripts (as are Windows sidebar widgets)?

Interestingly AVG is available for Android!

[PS And when (as predicted) we all have "intelligent" fridge/freezers - with embedded linux - to monitor our needs and automate ordering, perhaps the whole world will simultaneouly order a tonne of ice-cream and petits pois...!]

[Miami592]

I seem to remember a recent instance of android apps from the android store having some sort of malware or virus in them.

Personally my Linux box is on a large home network with 4 other OS's (OSX, Win 7, Vista, XP) so I think it in my best interest to have and use Clamtk regularly.

I suppose if someone were on a single Linux box or Linux only network the risk would be less, but why take chances. It has been my experience that once something is perceived to be "idiot proof" someone comes along and builds a better idiot.

[olurtz]

Hi people,

My game account got hacked recently, and they say it was from a keylogger or trojan and i dont use add-ons in the game. do you know a program that i can scan my computer? for linux. or am i sooo lucky that came up with an hacker programing in linux language thanks for the help. also i was using wine..I installed clam av can you just direct me to something i have no idea what to do thanks

[Miami592]

Hi people,

My game account got hacked recently, and they say it was from a keylogger or trojan and i dont use add-ons in the game. do you know a program that i can scan my computer? for linux. or am i sooo lucky that came up with an hacker programing in linux language thanks for the help. also i was using wine..I installed clam av can you just direct me to something i have no idea what to do thanks

Orlutz,

Welcome to the forum.

If you've already installed clamav go to the terminal and type

Code: Select all

sudo freshclam

It will ask for your password and update your virus definitions.

Then type in:

Code: Select all

clamscan -r /home/"your-user-id-goes-here-without-the-quotes"

When it is done scanning it will give you a report.

Have fun- M592

[GruB]

I have read this thread - and found it informative.
I then did a search to make sure my next question was not already answered somewhere else. I couldn't find it - so here goes.

If you are running Windows in VirtualBox would you install anti virus within that environment?
I only sneak onto the internet to grab album art via Firefox - nothing else.

[Elisa]

I have a friend which sometimes uses Vbox + win$ when have received some .doc files from some losers and therefore gonna open it in m$ office due its special formatting etc., so wanna keep the style as well.
But WTH why you wanna anything download (in fact use internet connection for downloading) if you can use net in your linux??

And there are various tricks to make your win$ virtualized in Vbox as a jail so even if you got a virus (if your virus won't change or step inside your files), run Vbox & win$ without saved changes from the former sessions.
So it should be as a new install of Vbox+win$, AFAIK...

[GruB]

Elisa,

I have a son that loves his Ipod and as a family we have a very extensive music library. I tried Banshee and other Linux music programmes but they could not handle syncing anything like Itunes. So I installed Vbox with XP and then installed only Itunes. But I then had to also install Firefox so I could copy album art that Itunes didn't pick up. So now I only go onto the net via Google to grap album images that I need. Nowt else.
All other net use is via Linux Mint 11.

Because I didn't trust ( lack of understanding ) Windows even in VBox not to suck in viruses I installed AVG Free for safety. I would however like to turn it off if I am being overly cautious.