[ubuntu-za] VIruses!!

[Lee Sharp]

On 06/03/2011 01:26 AM, Raoul Snyman wrote:
> On Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:20:43 -0400, Lee Sharp wrote:
>> For the record, this is not totally true.  There are some nasty browser
>> based bugs that will infect Ubuntu, but not many.  Eventually there will
>
>> be more.
>
> What browser-based bugs (I presume you mean viruses?) are you talking
> about? The only way you can actually mess up your Linux box is if you run
> the virus as root, which would have to be a manual thing on Ubuntu.

Not true, and if you look in google you will see "viruses" on Linux as 
far back as 2007.  Note that I did not use the word "virus" on purpose 
as it is not accurate, but bad things can happen.

For example, a normal user can open a port, and run a service.  A port 
that listens on IRC for the latest privileged escalation bug can rot the 
box.  But even without root, key logging, and web redirects are trivial. 
  Just setting firefox to use a proxy server can be debilitating.  The 
fix is easier than Windows, but only when noticed.

			Lee