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).
You might be wondering “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.
Are there viruses for Linux?
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.
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.
Then, does Linux need antivirus like Windows?
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 .
Is Linux operating system immune to malware?
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.
While writing we ran into the question “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.
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).
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.