Re: [opensuse] Who said Linux doesnot get Virus infections


On Tue, 2007-08-07 at 01:15 -0800, John Andersen wrote:
On Tuesday 07 August 2007, Hans van der Merwe wrote:
If/When Linux makes it big-time on the desktop do you think it will also
be bogged down with virus attacks as MS is now.

No.
The reason windows is attacked is because its EASY, not JUST because its
popular. Believing otherwise is swallowing Microsoft FUD hook line and
sinker.


Why is it assumed that Linux is less prone to virus attacks?

Because it is. With windows, simply sending you a file can infect
you. With linux, sending you a file and having you click on it all
day long STILL does not make it executable.


I know to
install stuff in the system, root is necessary, but installing and
running dangerous stuff in the user home directories is easy; you just
need a cunning app to fool the user in executing malicious code.

Social engineering is always a risk, but with Linux you can even prevent
against that to a far greater degree than with windows. Egress filtering
does a lot. But the real protection is that users who are too dumb to
realized WHY they are being asked to set something executable when all they
thought they were doing was getting a eCard from a classmate or a bored girl
are also too dumb to figure out how to set it executable.


(given, doing this in Win is easier, but not impossible in any flavour
Linux)

I submit that for all practical purposes it is impossible. Or at the
very least impractical.

Evidence: We have been fighting windows viruses and worms tooth
and nail for Over 10 Years. Wouldn't you thing that would have
been time enough for some clever virus writer to try and take over
that very LARGE segment of internet web servers that run on
various 'nix machines, and which serve as firewalls to vast
data warehouses?

Further advances in SE linux make it even less likely in the future.

Bill would like you to believe its JUST because his OS is popular.


Again, Im only talking about Desktop Linux, not servers - web users dont
have logons, email and web-browsing on arb webservers - so it remains
dumb user proof.

But my main concern is that dumb users usually make up most of the
desktop market out there - and preaching to them that Linux will make
there virus problem go away is setting them up for a fall.

Hans




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