I was recently ask by a new Linux convert now they should go about acquiring an Anti-Virus application and whether I would recommend McAfee of Norton. Without going into my own opinions about which might be better or worse I aim to clear up some of the confusion surrounding Linux Anti-Virus applications and what they are actually intended for.
If you come from a Windows background you will know an anti-virus application as something that sits in the background, sometimes with an icon in the task bar, and scans ever file or email on your system when accessed looking for infections. While all anti-virus applications have their pros and cons for the most part this is a reliable means of detecting and removing malicious software or emails before they can do any real harm.
However, in the Linux world these same applications have a different function. They are not trying to protect Linux desktops from Linux/Unix targeted viruses, they aim to protect Windows machines from infections by searching out viruses written for Windows machines.
If you run operating systems like Linux/Unix or Osx you are for all intents and purposes immune from infection by a virus written for Windows. So if that's the case what possible purpose would anyone have for running any anti-virus applications from within Linux? Well to quote The Simpsons “Short answer. No, with a BUT... Long answer. Yes...with and IF”
If you use Linux for your day to day desktop PC usage then you will probably have no reason nor need to run any kind of anti-virus software. This may change in the future as Linux becomes more and more popular Linux targeted viruses might start appearing more often, however for now this is still not the case.
Now for the BUT. If you dual boot your desktop in and out of Windows and accessing the same files from both environments then it becomes possible the a virus downloaded from within Linux could infect your Windows installation.
Another common example would be if there are Windows computers on your network and your sharing files between them. Maybe your partner is still running Windows but the family photographs are on your hard drive. In this situation you could share these files over your network, and again it becomes possible a virus downloaded on your Linux desktop could infect your partners machine.
In a situations like these you might consider running something like ClamAV over documents that are access by both Windows and Linux, to keep those other machines safe.
There are many reasons people run file servers, the most common are probably backups and to share music within their home network. No matter what the reason, at the core these server are basically large hard drive where users of your network have access to store and read data and even if you trust everyone of your users there is always the possibility that someone could unwittingly download some unsafe data they then store on your server. As I said before, if your server is running Linux you are probably safe from any infection from this nasty, but running anti-virus software on this server will protect other users from these nasty. It may also alert you to a threat on your network, and even act as an early warning that one of your users has been infected.
The majority of email server out there are running Linux in one form or another. These are the machine responsible for storing your emails until your mail client connects to download anything new, they also deliver emails you send to the intended recipients. Considering email is the primary means of attack and infection of viruses, trojans and other malware these computers are your first line of defence against the nasties of the internet. Since so many of these servers run Linux you can understand the need for Linux developers to write software to detect Windows viruses.
Having, I hope, cleared up any confusion and made the situation a little clearer it is once again up to you whether you wish to run an Anti-Virus application on your Linux desktop. If you have Windows computer on your network or are dual booting your machine then it is probably a good idea to run some anti-virus software.
In the end it comes down to the type of system you have and how you run your network, along with your personal level of paranoia which will dictate the answer to the original question. However, for the majority, it simple is not necessary to run anti-virus software on your Linux desktop PC
No Comments Yet