Linux more secure than Windows???

[mingle]

Hi,

I've Googled this subject, but all of the results seem to be at least a few years old.

So, is Linux more secure (from virii, worms, trojans, etc?) than say Win XP?

With its increasing popularity isn't Linux more likely to come under attack from the chumps who write this type of software?

I guess with Windows there are generally more apps to prevent/catch malicious software and more people looking out for it - regular updates from M$ and the anti-spyware/anti-virus companies...

I guess I just feel a lot more exposed with Linux, since there's (or appears to be) so little 'centralised' support... Maybe I'm just concerned over nothing? And with the huge range of 'home-baked' software around it wouldn't take much for a nasty app to sneak through undetected...

I know a little bit about the inherent differences between Windows and Linux, that make Windows an easier target, but still...

Does anyone out there run anti-virus/anti-spyware software under Kubuntu?

Cheers,

Mike.

[trident_2008]

Re: Linux more secure than Windows

I guess with Windows there are generally more apps to prevent/catch malicious software and more people looking out for it - regular updates from M$ and the anti-spyware/anti-virus companies...

Not quite. You see, server of any kind is a juicy target for a cracker. So, while there are less kiddies with prepackaged troyans like agobot or whatewer, there ARE Linux crackers, - they just are not that much interested in desktops.

Also, since these are more sophisticated, usual windows approach of primarily targetting automated attacks (like viruses or botnet trojans) won't work anyway. What you need is not specific malware detection/removal tools, but updates that fix security breaches themselves, thus preventing malware from being there in the first place, monitoring tools to spot malware-like behaviors, etc...

And there is far more work done in this department with Linux than Windows, more people, more money even, I suspect.

EDIT: Ok, that's not the best explaination of "daily updates automatically mean better securiy" fallacy, but consider two cockroach extermination companies: one promises you to kill at least 2236 bugs a day, another one kills them all in one day and then repeats the procedure on as-needed basis. Which one is better?

The first one is your typical anti-virus company. The second one really does its job as it should be done. Unfortunately, with Windows the only company in position to do it right way is MS itself, and their resources are impressive, but inherently limited. With OSS anyone can set up shop and do it, and they do.

[finifly]

Re: Linux more secure than Windows

So, is Linux more secure (from virii, worms, trojans, etc?) than say Win XP?

With Linux, all of the sensitive files and libraries are generally untouchable unless you have root privileges, so nothing can install/edit/delete these files without your permission. In Kubuntu, the SuperUser (root) privileges are automatically denied to user and you have to enter SuperUser mode via sudo, su, kdesu, kdesudo, etc, to edit this files, which requires your password. So in that sense, even if a virus was to be installed on your system, it couldn't act without your permission.

I guess I just feel a lot more exposed with Linux, since there's (or appears to be) so little 'centralised' support... Maybe I'm just concerned over nothing? And with the huge range of 'home-baked' software around it wouldn't take much for a nasty app to sneak through undetected...

This is not necessarily true. First of all there are many eyes checking the code that gets submitted into these apps, and within Linux, the sense of community is paramount. Centralized support can be limited as there is generally only one point of view. With community support, you have many points of view to catch malicious software. If something like this were to be distributed (intentionally or unintentionally) it would be recognized early, and warnings/fixes would be promptly available. I have not to my knowledge encountered any malicious software.

Does anyone out there run anti-virus/anti-spyware software under Kubuntu?

I personally do not. But if you are worried, you can try using Firefox, and add some of the security extensions to help protect your computer (For example, No Script).

On a parting note, here are two Wikipedia links that outline viruses in Linux and Windows respectively. Hope this helps!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...mputer_viruses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer_viruses

[dibl]

Re: Linux more secure than Windows

So, is Linux more secure (from virii, worms, trojans, etc?) than say Win XP?
With its increasing popularity isn't Linux more likely to come under attack from the chumps who write this type of software?

That's really a multi-faceted question -- the answer depends a lot on how you look at. My wife's Win XP machine is nicely (and expensively) protected with anti-virus and spyware sweeping utilities. Upon powering it on, it is unavailable for a good 10 minutes because all the system resources are busy updating virus and spyware definition files and sweeping the drives -- a painfully high price to pay for reasonable (but less than 100%) security.

I've been running Kubuntu for 18 months with no anti-virus package running. But, I set up a router (and changed the default IP address), and both the PCs are behind it. And we use web-based (html) e-mail, so only a deliberate download of an attachment, or clicking of a hyperlink, can open our computers to an attack.

On the other hand, a firewall package is probably not a bad idea anyway. I noticed Mepis 7 includes one in the default installation. We'd probably all be wise to get a little smarter on how to configure and use one of these, to make it tougher for our machine to become spam servers and such.

I guess I just feel a lot more exposed with Linux, since there's (or appears to be) so little 'centralised' support...

Is there a scintilla of evidence that M$'s centralized "support" is of any benefit to Mr. Average User? The only thing it ever did for me in 20 years was to give me permission to reinstall their OS on my computer! How helpful is that? Do you feel the need to call someone for permission to reinstall Kubuntu? PM me and I'll give you my phone number.