Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Boot Gentoo to clean windows

[Dale]

Alan McKinnon wrote:
> On Thursday 27 March 2008, Dale wrote:
>
>> Florian Philipp wrote:
>>
>>> This is getting OT but I still want to ask:
>>> Is it really necessary to run an anti-virus on linux? I just want
>>> to hear some opinions on that topic because I thought security
>>> fixes for your software are the way to go for fighting virae on
>>> linux.
>>>
>> I have not ran a anti-virus here for years and no problems so far.  I
>> don't think Linux has this problem except for the rootkit thing.  It
>> seems Linux is just pretty much immune to this sort of thing.
>>
>
> Not really immune as such, just well protected. It's very hard to gain
> remote access as a user and then find an exploit to elevate to root
> priviledges. The devastation wrought on the internet by zombie windows
> machines is by and large not really possible on Linux to anything like
> the same degree - if an attacker dupes a user into running some malware
> it tends to run as the user which limits what the malware can do i.e.
> no ports open below 1024 etc etc.
>
> BUT some points to keep in mind:
>
> 1. Linux us still small fry in the desktop market, and not really a
> target for malware scumbags. Why should they? It's much harder to do
> especially when Redmond's finest code in the wild is such juicy low
> hanging fruit. This is bound to change, just a matter of time
>
> 2. There are some Linuxes out there that run everything as root.
> Xandros, I'm especially looking at you here. Apparently the Xandros
> devs like the way Redmond does things, right down to the brain dead
> design decisions <sigh> human stupidity is apparently boundless
>
> 3. If an attacker gains access to your machine, he can trash your
> personal stuff just for spite. This is catastrophic to the average user
> even though it leaves the rest of the internet just as it was
>
>

True, but I did say 'pretty much'.  Nothing is completely immune.  A old 
Commodore Vic-20 can be hacked if you can connect it to the net.  
Although it is not fast enough to do much harm.  LOL 

I also agree that as Linux grows, so will the people trying to hack 
them.  As long as there are people using Linux that don't keep there box 
fairly secure, it will happen.  I don't think it will be as easy as the 
finest Redmond software but they will try.  If nothings else, they will 
try common passwords and there will always be some idiot with their 
password set to love, sex, god and other easy to guess ones.  I like my 
password tho.  It's numbers and letters and has no meaning whatsoever.  
Not even a birth date in it. 

I was not aware of #2.  Sounds like a bunch of Redmond whatabees.  o_O

Dale

:-)  :-)  :-) 
-- 
gentoo-user@l.g.o mailing list