Comments on: [Linux]: Do You Really Need Anti-Virus Software?

By: Alan

Alan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:08:01 +0000

Yeah, you don’t need anti-virus software on Windows… unless you use flash disks. Flash disks and Windows are the bane of my existence.

By: samba x server

samba x server — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:30:21 +0000

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By: Chris Lees

Chris Lees — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:16:57 +0000

@CuriousGeorge: I thought exactly the same as you about not needing anti-virus on Windows, but I did manage to somehow get malware on my Windows computer even through a firewall and my “comprehensive wetware security” :-) I honestly can’t understand how it happened, but it did.

The only way you can avoid getting a virus on Windows is if you don’t connect it to a network or the Internet, and even then I’m sure there’s still ways of contracting them…

By: nfs xp

nfs xp — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:49:57 +0000

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By: Is Linux Really Free from Virus? | Ubuntu Site

Is Linux Really Free from Virus? | Ubuntu Site — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:54:45 +0000

[...] [Linux]: Do You Really Need Anti-Virus Software? [...]

By: Boycott Novell » Links 29/04/2008: Peru Universities Teach Free Software; Armenia Gets GNU/Linux Distribution

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:09:22 +0000

[...] [Linux]: Do You Really Need Anti-Virus Software? [...]

By: Damien

Damien — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:51:59 +0000

@Curious George: Well said. It all boils down to social engineering. If you play your part in protecting yourself, it is really hard to get infected, regardless of which platform you are using.

By: Curious George

Curious George — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:05:36 +0000

The thing that most people don’t realize is that AV isn’t needed on Windows either – and it doesn’t take extreme paranoia/caution to make it work.

1) Do not run Internet Explorer except for websites that you trust – such as your bank. This does not mean “if my bank sends me an email, click on the URL to open it in Internet Explorer”. This means type in the URL yourself; or save it as a bookmark and only access it through that bookmark.
2) Don’t use Outlook or Outlook Express. They both internally use Internet Explorer to display emails; someone could send an email designed to exploit an Internet Explorer weakness, and it would generally work.
3) Don’t open email attachments unless you have specifically requested them. If someone you sends you something, confirm directly with them that they sent it to you — because as your blog post mentions, email addresses are easily faked.
4) Always know what you are clicking on. This means that you can’t browse the web in Internet Explorer; and in Firefox, turn off JavaScript’s ability to change status bar text.
5) Don’t download and install programs unless they are from a known and trusted source.
6) Change explorer settings to always show file extensions. This way, you can always see what kind of file you are opening – and won’t be tricked into running “FamilyPhoto.jpg……….exe”

Those six things will ensure that the ordinary person will never get a virus on Windows. If you wish to be safe, download a free AV solution such as ClamAV, and scan your hard drive once a month.