Linux is secure…right?

[rick gen]

Probably the majority of us here use Linux for everyday desktop applications.
How would you even know your machine is secure or not? There's no way of knowing.

[Jim Hauser]

Probably the majority of us here use Linux for everyday desktop applications.
How would you even know your machine is secure or not? There's no way of knowing.

I have been using Mint on a desktop for going on four years, there are others who have been using it a lot longer. I can not recall ever hearing about anyone using a desktop who has been hacked while using Linux. My only security is a Cisco router/firewall and Linux itself. I have never had any security issues while using Linux Mint.

All of the money I have saved by not using Windows and the related security software now goes for hardware.

If I ever do get Hacked I will let this forum know first. Until then I will not be looking for lemons...

[Hoser Rob]

Probably the majority of us here use Linux for everyday desktop applications.
How would you even know your machine is secure or not? There's no way of knowing.

I have been using Mint on a desktop for going on four years, there are others who have been using it a lot longer. I can not recall ever hearing about anyone using a desktop who has been hacked while using Linux. My only security is a Cisco router/firewall and Linux itself. I have never had any security issues while using Linux Mint.

All of the money I have saved by not using Windows and the related security software now goes for hardware.

If I ever do get Hacked I will let this forum know first. Until then I will not be looking for lemons...

Gotta admit there's a lot of truth to that. I've distro/DE hopped a bit on my netbook and since I won't add multiple DEs that means I've clean reinstalled a few times.

And, I'm ashamed to say, a few times I forgot to turn on the firewall. Sometimes for a month or more. Now, this netbook is my carry around Linux box and it's often connected to wifi hotspots.

And guess what? Never been hacked. On a WIndows box, under the same conditions, I would have been hacked in a second. If that.

I'm certainly not recommending not using a firewall or otherwise being complacent. But all I had was a strong password, which you DO need.

[majpooper]

Maybe there should be a SECURITY section on the forum where all these generally useless security threads could be funneled. The section description could basically explain linux is secure and point them to Pjotr's site to explain LM security in detail. If there is a specific documented threat of course all of us would want to know about it but it seems every few months someone posts linux is not secure or some such nonsense.

I get it that Windows converts coming over to Mint are paranoid - I understand. I also get that many noobs are not really "computer people" and can easily perceive Linux server vulnerabilities as linux desktop issues even tough they are different animals.

Although these security threads are not quite as ridiculous as the "I hate linux" threads that pop up from time to time.

[bad medicine]

I think a security section has been vetoed in the past because it would give the impression there are security issues when for all intents and purposes there really aren't.

Probably the majority of us here use Linux for everyday desktop applications.
How would you even know your machine is secure or not? There's no way of knowing.

My impression (possibly wrong) from many posts on the topic is that we should just assume it is secure until we find some reason to think it isn't. Worrying about whether it is, in the minds of people much more knowledgable than me on Linux (which is just about everyone), is a waste of time because no real threats have cropped up.

[Hoser Rob]

I suspect part of the problem is that people think that installing something like Linux is going to make them hack proof just because of the lack of virusues. And they're having fits now because they're discovered it isn't hack proof.

Of course, there are Windows users who were quite surprised when their email account was phished because their computer came with Norton AV software. I've known a few.

[Jim Hauser]

I suspect part of the problem is that people think that installing something like Linux is going to make them hack proof just because of the lack of virusues. And they're having fits now because they're discovered it isn't hack proof.

Of course, there are Windows users who were quite surprised when their email account was phished because their computer came with Norton AV software. I've known a few.

It always pays to be cautious even with Linux. The Mint distros are already set up with very good security but I have always used an external firewall. VPN is not a bad idea for a lot of people. Keep the built in security intact, firewall your system if you can and use your head when browsing.

[sphyrth]

"Linux has been breached? You should try Windows. Asides from the fact that most of its users know if it has been breached, it's MUCH more secure."

[BG405]

@sphyrth:

Whilst I've only knowingly had one virus during my years of using Windows, I've dealt with machines which were riddled with them only to get the same machines back a few months later with the same issues. This meant being rather careful not to infect my machines which I was using to do the repairs. Something I wouldn't have to worry about since moving to Linux but I have practically abandoned Windows support now, I'll only do it for a fee.

[benali72]

I've supported dozens of linux desktops since the early 2000s and have never encountered any virus or malware.

Our systems do not use WINE, run Windows programs, use Windows filesystems like ntfs or fat, or run anti-malware.

As others have said, linux is not theoretically immune to malware but if it exists it is very rare in practice.

[lisabonne citadel]

Linux is designed to work like a close shell...
the true weakness belongs to web browsers and not to linux.
all pipe connections should be encrypted with 4096 bit and they are not ))
something i notice is the fact of my internet subscription provider not offer guarantees that my money is worthless.... They are moved to masses... like mind control lol.

[CaseyMarie]

Very interesting read, thanks for sharing

My attitude to security is I've always felt quite safe in both Windows and Linux. I'm completely ignorant when it comes to penetration testing but I can imagine that it's a huge pain to do. I have always kept my software up to date and I put faith in the fact that developers are fixing things and that it takes longer to find an exploit than it does for the next version to come out and the way apt keeps everything on the system up to date makes me feel like my software is in constant motion.

I don't think that this approach would stop a dedicated hacker or the NSA from breaking in but I'm not worth breaking into really, I'm about as small time as you can get. What possible information could you get out of me? I have a novel that I'm writing, some pictures of my cat and some maths homework! However what I think it does help protect me from is the automatic stuff that's just out there indirectly targeting stuff and honestly even then I feel that unless I'm doing something really dumb like opening ssh and making my password "password" you would probably need a huge outbreak to happen and if it was big enough the developers would rush to iron it out and I can imagine we'd have a patch in hours!

I honestly think that if security was such a huge priority to an absurd level then you probably wouldn't be running a pre configured distro at all, and how do you stop someone kicking your door down and taking the physical hardware and drugging you? Perhaps I'm extremely ignorant to say this but security isn't really something that I feel too concerned about mostly because I don't really understand much about it and I don't want to allow the Dunning–Kruger effect to spin me into a panic about it. I'm probably wrong though! Security is something I think worth studying definitely

[Pjotr]

Perhaps I'm extremely ignorant to say this but security isn't really something that I feel too concerned about mostly because I don't really understand much about it and I don't want to allow the Dunning–Kruger effect to spin me into a panic about it. I'm probably wrong though! Security is something I think worth studying definitely

Avoid some fatal mistakes (see my forum signature below), always use your common sense and then: relax, you're running Linux.

[CaseyMarie]

Avoid some fatal mistakes (see my forum signature below), always use your common sense and then: relax, you're running Linux.

Oh dear! I broke point 6 quite a lot getting set up! I was using this guide: https://github.com/erikdubois/Ultimate- ... 8-Cinnamon and running quite a few shell scripts! I promise never to do that again!

[Pjotr]

Avoid some fatal mistakes (see my forum signature below), always use your common sense and then: relax, you're running Linux.

Oh dear! I broke point 6 quite a lot getting set up! I was using this guide: https://github.com/erikdubois/Ultimate- ... 8-Cinnamon and running quite a few shell scripts! I promise never to do that again!

In that case I strongly recommend a clean re-installation of Mint.

[CaseyMarie]

In that case I strongly recommend a clean re-installation of Mint.

Okay I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning! For some reason I was assuming that it was part of the official distro like an upgrade. I must have had my brain switched off at the time, I think it's because I'm used to windows having an ultimate version. Just for future reference though is github generally a lot less trustworthy then apt or the software store? Thanks x

[Pjotr]

Just for future reference though is github generally a lot less trustworthy then apt or the software store?

Definitely. The latter two are confined to the safe official software sources. GitHub is the equivalent of the Wild West.

[KBD47]

Thing is you can do everything right and only use Linux and some dumb company like Equifax will spread your info all over the net because of lame security.

[Moem]

I was using this guide: https://github.com/erikdubois/Ultimate- ... 8-Cinnamon and running quite a few shell scripts! I promise never to do that again!

Hm. This guy says on his page: "I try to get the latest of everything. This attitude tends to break things." That seems to indicate it's only smart to follow his lead if you know how to fix things, or on a spare computer that you don't need to work. You obviously like diving in at the deep end!

[CaseyMarie]

I was using this guide: https://github.com/erikdubois/Ultimate- ... 8-Cinnamon and running quite a few shell scripts! I promise never to do that again!

Hm. This guy says on his page: "I try to get the latest of everything. This attitude tends to break things." That seems to indicate it's only smart to follow his lead if you know how to fix things, or on a spare computer that you don't need to work. You obviously like diving in at the deep end!

Well it was a little bit silly of me but I watched the companion YouTube video and his system didn't break as he installed it all! I figured I'd be fine as well! Nevermind though, I've reloaded and I'm just waiting for the update manager to finish up ^^ I think this time I'll follow the second guide that Pjotr has very kindly provided in their signature Hopefully I'll be operating a little more safely this time x