Most may not know it, but Linux can get viruses too. Thankfully, there’s a tremendous command-line tool that mny Linux users use, and it’s called ClamAV. With it, users will be able to detect types of viruses via the command-line and look for exploits (for both Windows and Linux).
One of the next things we asked ourselves was can Linux get viruses?
However, you are very unlikely to stumble on — and be infected by — a Linux virus in the same way you would be infected by a piece of malware on Windows. Whatever the reason, Linux malware isn’t all over the Internet like Windows malware is. Using an antivirus is completely unnecessary for desktop Linux users.
So, to answer your question, yes viruses can attack a Linux OS. But considering the robustness of Linux and Balance of probabilities, we can easily say No. Here are a few links where you can read about these viruses.
So, viruses for Linux are not non-existent entities they exist, but thankfully, the risk posed by these viruses are minimal in fact negligible in most cases. This is why we say Linux is virus-proof; by that we mean Linux has a very strong architecture.
Another thing we wanted the answer to was, is Linux OS virus free?
Linux System is considered to be free from Viruses and Malware. What is the truth behind this notion and how far it is correct? We will be discussing all these stuffs in this article. To be true, No! No OS on this earth can be ever be 100% immune to Viruses and Malware.
Does linux need virus protection?
Antivirus is not necessary on Linux based operating systems, but a few people still recommend to add an extra layer of protection. Again on the official page of Ubuntu, they claim that you don’t need to use antivirus software on it because viruses are rare, and Linux is inherently more secure.
This begs the question “Is Linux operating system immune to malware?”
Our answer is that No OS on this earth can be ever be 100% immune to Viruses and Malware. But still Linux never had a widespread malware-infection as compared to Windows.
And on top of that, the viruses that do manage to infect Linux will be much less widespread than Windows viruses — there has never been a single instance of a widespread Linux virus akin to your bi-monthly Windows worm that infects a few hundred-thousand/million computers.
One way to think about this is linux systems have gained a reputation for being resistant to many malware. This is because they are securely designed and maintained hence are safer than other operating systems such as windows. So, does Linux need an antivirus like the ones we reviewed here ? Not really though you should know that malware for Linux does exist.
Can Linux users detect viruses via the command-line?
Thankfully, there’s a tremendous command-line tool that mny Linux users use, and it’s called ClamAV. With it, users will be able to detect types of viruses via the command-line and look for exploits (for both Windows and Linux).
How to protect Linux from malware and viruses?
Here are precautions to take to protect your Linux machines from threats such as malware or viruses, Linux user is advised to get trusted software from authorized repositories such as Github. If you are running cross-platform with a windows workstation; make sure to get up-to-date anti-virus software.
Is Linux safe to use?
Linux has gained a good name for being secure enough, and resistant to many malwares out there. Some of the popular Linux based operating systems are Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Redhat, Debian, Arch. Nevertheless, none of these operating systems by default utilize a proper antivirus guard.