[ubuntu-za] Ubuntu Linux virus?

[Ivo Vegter]

Reenen Laurie wrote:
> But virus writers would all like to say that they wrote the first or
> some of the first virus for linux. Also google is now writing a
> linux... And i aan think of at least one mega corp who'd like the
> argument that linux is not as safe as people think. Though i usually
> think it's more likely something else.

There are a few reasons in principle why Linux is safer than Windows.
Most importantly, root access needs password permission by default, and
in Ubuntu, the root account doesn't even have a password, by default.
This doesn't prevent user-space access, however, nor does it mean it
won't install what the user says to install (which is often a lot, these
days).

There's the motivation argument, sure. Linux is a smaller target, more
difficult to compromise, and usually has smarter users, so the return on
investment is significantly lower than you'd get by targeting Windows.
But that is an argument for why Linux viruses wouldn't exist, not for
why they couldn't exist.

All this is cause for a false sense of security, which I think is
dangerous. Some day, it's going to bite the Linux community hard.

I'm as alert using Linux as I would be using Windows. I run a firewall
and virus checker. I update my software whenever fixes are available. I
don't let Flash or scripts execute in Firefox without permission. I
don't let HTML display in Thunderbird without permission. I use long,
high-quality passwords. And even then, I'm aware that my permission (and
even root access to install apps) could easily be engineered, so I
occasionally scan htop so that I'm familiar with what processes
typically run on my machine.

As much as we all like to gloat about compromised Windows users, the
notion that Linux (or MacOSX) is immune from malware is false.

-- 
Ivo Vegter | 084-210-2003 | @ivovegter