[huskerlug] Re: antivirus

If you have a mail server, for instance, it's a *very* good idea to have a virus
scanner on it.  Not necessarily for the few linux viruses, but for the windows
viruses that will otherwise be sent on their way to one or more windows
machines .

Another scenario is if you are using samba.  Just because your linux machine
isn't harmed by that file with the virus attached, the windows machine that
grabs it from you is.

I think it's a great idea to put a virus scanner on your linux machines.  Since
linux generally isn't targeted, it makes a good platform to do the scanning on.
 Some viruses are designed to disable anti-virus software.  I'd like to see a
windows virus disable the anti-virus software running on a host it can't affect
:)


> No need.
> Last fall I did research into Linux worms and viruses.   Symantice has=20
> (did?) have the best collection, 42 in all.   Of them most were=20
> laboratory speciments, as indicated by the fact they were 'found' on=20
> less than 3 PCs.   That's like finding a needle in 35 million=20
> haystacks.    Anyway, only three, which were worms,  had any effect=20
> at all. Two were old and infected less than 500 machines.  The worse=20
> occured last October and was called Slapper.  It infected 7,000=20
> machince in Easter Europe.   The only way those machines could have=20
> been infected was if the user was running as root  -- which is=20
> something you NEVER want to do.
>
> Linux worms and viruses would require user assistance in order to=20
> work.   Sort of like receiving an email which said " send the email=20
> to all people in your address book and then run 'rm -rf' as root"
>
> The big worry for Linux is come cracker hacking into your box=20
> manually.    You can test for that by regularly using chkrootkit.
>
> Keeping your patches up todate and running a good firewall, like=20
> Shorewall (Firestarter is a good GUI for it), should keep you worry=20
> free.

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