I don’t think people are saying there’s literally no viruses for Linux, just that because Linux desktop use is so low, malware developers l developers focus on Windows because that’s what most end users will be trying to run their software on.
It’s not a secret that lots of Enterprise systems run Linux. Almost all switching and routing operating systems that run the entire internet are Linux based. But there isn’t a person using those. They get configured and then run without user interaction. So their attack surface is different.
That’s what people mean when they say there’s no real malware for Linux.
Most “virus” infections this day are just programs that look legit and trick people into installing them. You’re not going to get a Linux server that way.
I think the day there’s a widespread apt or pacman hidden malware ala npm will be a watershed moment for the Linux community. A lot of people don’t even have clamav installed
I’m worried even some random package like fastfetch getting compromised. I never installed that, it came with CachyOS, and it’s an “official package”. Does anyone actually check all 70+ packages that update per week? I dunno, it gives me the same uneasy feeling when I first was introduced to NPM
Well, there’s a difference between that and NPM, which is that there are some manual steps involved. There’s no standard way to “push an update to every distribution in existence”, you just put out a sign somewhere saying “hey, new release” then everyone has to look at it and package it in whichever way they feel appropriate, oftentimes to a “testing” space first before the “regular” one. Some random Gentoo user who rebuilt just same day would notice way before Alpine stable people, for example.
Even Jia Tan wasn’t too successful, their backdoor only functioned when in a small set of distributions (Debian…) and yet got noticed almost right away.
The only major malware that isn’t for the big 4 right now are:
ones that are preinstalled in IoT and “smart” devices
targeting said devices with remote holes (ironically sometimes made available by the preinstalled malware)
I don’t think people are saying there’s literally no viruses for Linux, just that because Linux desktop use is so low, malware developers l developers focus on Windows because that’s what most end users will be trying to run their software on.
It’s not a secret that lots of Enterprise systems run Linux. Almost all switching and routing operating systems that run the entire internet are Linux based. But there isn’t a person using those. They get configured and then run without user interaction. So their attack surface is different.
That’s what people mean when they say there’s no real malware for Linux.
Most “virus” infections this day are just programs that look legit and trick people into installing them. You’re not going to get a Linux server that way.
Also people using Linux are some kind of brain and understanding of computers. Not necessarily the case on windows.
No, the ones who say this kind of stuff are literally believing that there is no malware on Linux, and there is precedence for it.
Something something history is doomed to repeat itself.
I think the day there’s a widespread apt or pacman hidden malware ala npm will be a watershed moment for the Linux community. A lot of people don’t even have clamav installed
You mean like all the recent exploits on the AUR? It’s already happening. Digital hygiene is a responsibility that many don’t take seriously.
Well, time to switch to BSD /s
I’m worried even some random package like
fastfetchgetting compromised. I never installed that, it came with CachyOS, and it’s an “official package”. Does anyone actually check all 70+ packages that update per week? I dunno, it gives me the same uneasy feeling when I first was introduced to NPMWell, there’s a difference between that and NPM, which is that there are some manual steps involved. There’s no standard way to “push an update to every distribution in existence”, you just put out a sign somewhere saying “hey, new release” then everyone has to look at it and package it in whichever way they feel appropriate, oftentimes to a “testing” space first before the “regular” one. Some random Gentoo user who rebuilt just same day would notice way before Alpine stable people, for example.
Even Jia Tan wasn’t too successful, their backdoor only functioned when in a small set of distributions (Debian…) and yet got noticed almost right away.
The only major malware that isn’t for the big 4 right now are: