Its not the fact that Linux distro's have NO virus's, every piece of software is suseptable to infection......There are however, particular reasons why it would be less so than windows for example.
Here's my take on it...
1. FIrst off, Linux only makes up about 3-5% of the computers on the net. (Even though this does include 60-70% of web servers are Linux/BSD). The majority is simply windows. You want it to spread. Why write virus's for a minority OS?
2. Security practices of users. Even Linux noobs, tend to know a bit more about computers than the average person. They tend to practice safer surfing and installs of apps etc.
Linux users are using mostly open-source (e.g: free) software.
They're less likely to resort downloading 'cracked' applications from P2P networks.
3. Built in security to Mac and Linux/BSD variants. WIndows is the only OS where you have full admin/root rights from first boot. Rarely do people actually use the "power user" or other options in Windows. This is a huge advantage.
4. IE being interwoven into the OS has to be about the worst idea of all time, not to mention IE 6 and below (in terms of security) is a piece of crap. And no, this is not MS bashing. It's fact.
Viruses don't directly infect operating systems. They infect vunerabilities in the embeded software first (weakest point of resistance). So ... dont imbed software as part of the OS! Especially an app that's main use is accesing the internet.
Having said this, Linux is very vunerable to VM Rootkits, especially a variant known as SubVirt, a proof-of-concept virtual machine rootkit!
These are the new major viral threats out today and NO ONE is safe from them as they currently remain undectable by antivirus software.
Read more here:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/VM-Rootkits-The-Next-Big-Threat/Regards
Last edited by Digitalocksmith on 26th July 2008, 6:56 am; edited 1 time in total
