Yes, although Ubuntu vulnerabilities are still not as bad as those of windows; it doesn’t mean attackers cannot penetrate it. There have been all sorts of new attacks such as ransomware, botnets, rootkit, and Trojan virus.
All software platforms need virus protection. However the majority of viruses are written for Windows and will not affect Linux. However, there is till the potential of cross-platform type viruses (Flash, Java PDF, etc) that can still do some damage on any system.
In other words, there are many reasons why viruses will have an insanely small chance of surviving in Ubuntu. So much that it can be considered almost impossible.
One way to think about this is on Ubuntu, the whole system and software repository ecosystem is designed to prevent running random code from random sources, thus installing an AV to “protect Ubuntu from viruses” is a waste of time and resources. Some answers here suggest installing a commercial, non-open source, AV software on Linux.
Do I need an antivirus on Ubuntu?
No, you do not need an Antivirus (AV) on Ubuntu to keep it secure. You need to employ other “good hygiene” precautions, but contrary to some of the misleading answers and comments posted here, Anti-virus is not among them. For starters, there seems to be a confusion in some of the top-rated answers here between two issues:.
Some think that ubuntu is a distribution, or variant, of the Linux operating system. You should deploy an antivirus for Ubuntu, as with any Linux OS, to maximize your security defenses against threats. While Linux does a great job at boosting its native security posture, no OS is 100% safe from cyberattacks.
Does ubuntu have antivirus?
Coming to antivirus part, ubuntu does not have a default antivirus, nor does any linux distro I know, You dont need a antivirus program in linux. Although, there are few available for linux, but linux is pretty much safe when it comes to virus. Which antivirus is best for Ubuntu?
This of course begs the query “What is the best free antivirus for Ubuntu?”
GRAVITYZONE ENTERPRISE SECURITY. ESET NOD32 Antivirus Business Edition for Linux Desktop Vendor advertises Ubuntu support (other products for mail and file servers available). F-PROT Antivirus for Linux Workstations – for home use.
Does ubuntu need license?
Ubuntu (Desktop/Server/etc.) itself isn’t under a license. Rather, it’s components and underlying / included software, drivers, etc. are under various licenses, such as GPL. However, you are free to modify / use it to fulfill whatever purpose you desire, even for commercial purposes.
Another frequent query is “Do you have to pay to use Ubuntu?”.
No, Ubuntu is completely free to use. You don’t have to buy a license key or activate Ubuntu like you do in Windows. The download section of Ubuntu requests you to donate some money but it’s up to you if you want to give some money for developing this awesome operating system. What GNOME version does it have?
One thought is that that shouldn’t be a problem for you as long as you don’t (re)distribute the files. As long as the binaries are supplied by Ubuntu ( Canonical) the license conditions apply to them, not you.
Do I need to install Ubuntu drivers?
Ubuntu comes with many drivers out-of-the-box. You may need to install drivers only if some of your hardware is not working properly or not being detected. Some drivers for graphic cards and wireless adapters can be downloaded.