this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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With the increase popularity of the linux desktop and the steamdeck, will new viruses and malwares be developed for linux systems? should we better use an antivirus?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I have clamav installed, but only run it sporadically during attacks of paranoia. The only thing it's ever found was a Windows virus in an old email attachment among some files that had come from a Windows box.

The main thing you need to do to avoid viruses is avoid running untrusted code, which means, among other things, using paranoid browser settings. Linux tends to have fewer random holes where script execution environments ooze into places where they really shouldn't be, although even Windows isn't quite as bad about that as it was twenty-five years ago.