Re: Problem with Google Mail and Ubuntu

On Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:29:40 +0200 (CEST)
"Carl Friis-Hansen" <ubuntuuser@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Also could I possibly
have a virus or spyware? If it is a virus or spyware, are there
linux versions of an antivirus/antispyware programs?
[snipped]

You are most unlikely to have a virus or "spyware" on your system.

Whilst there have been some viruses written for Linux, there are
absolutely *NO* viruses in the wild AFAIK. If there were, the structure
of Linux means that permissions would have to be given per user to
software attempting to run maliciously; this is the reason that
"spyware" and virii could not affect the system as a whole.

The reason that we use sudo rather than su in Ubuntu (the traditional
way of accessing root permissions), is to enable root permissions to be
used without those permissions being persistent (sort of like a fake
root). Without root permissions being granted universally, software
cannot run universally, and so the structure of files in Linux prevents
malware being run, and run throughout the system. Windows has the
alternative system: each user is granted system-wide permissions to run
software (they are all sysadmins). This makes it easier to use and
easier to misuse

We should not be complacent, however. Since the native protection
against malware depends (partly at at least) on levels of permissions,
we must make sure that files are not granted the highest level of
permissions and make it possible for malware to run system-wide (as
virii can in Windows). Programs that change levels of permissions to
root (system-wide) permissions are known as "rootkits" and these have
been found in Linux, as have programs to root out the worst of these.
Chkrootkit is one such program available in your arsenal, and is
available in the repos, so install it and run it regularly (perhaps by
establishing a cron job).

A program to root out Windows virii in Linux would have little
practical value since Linux does not run Windows programs (which is
what Windows virii are). However, if you are concerned that Windows
virii are being sent undetected to Windows users with whom you
correspond, or with whose files you contact through Samba, a virus
checker that checks for Windows virii might be a good idea.

In that case, I'd recommend ClamAV or F-Prot (I understand this latter
is not free). Note that these will only check for *Windows*
virii:AFAIK there is no checker available for Linux viruses.

--
Graham Todd

"I'm not yet desperate enough to do anything about the conditions that
are making me desperate..."

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