In my previous blog entry ‘Consider Linux‘, I covered the virtues of Linux and why you might consider Linux as an alternate or primary OS for your laptop or PC. What I didn’t explain very well though, is the need (or lack of need) for ‘security’ software for Linux. My assumption was that it’s just not needed. But on a recent customer visit, I was asked the question “which antivirus program should I run with my Ubuntu OS”, and I didn’t have a good answer, or a solid reason why it’s not needed. So I’m here to answer the question once and for all.
Should I run antivirus software with Linux, and if so, which one?
First, what do antivirus programs do?
We normally think of an antivirus program as one that runs in the background and scans files as they are accessed (or maybe it scans the entire system on a routine basis). And if it sees anything that is infected with a virus, the program will ‘quarantine’ or remove the offending ‘bug’. This is an effective way to detect and remove viruses on a Windows machine, but Linux antivirus programs are different.
How are Linux antivirus programs different and do I need it?
Linux antivirus programs aren’t meant to protect the Linux machine from viruses, but are designed to detect ‘Windows’ viruses to keep them from being spread to Windows by other Linux users.
So, as a Linux user, do I care?
As a Linux user, you are practically immune from Windows viruses. So why would you want to bother scanning files that won’t work on your computer for viruses that have no effect on you? The simple answer is, you wouldn’t. BUT…
Mail servers
If you’re running a mail server in your home or office, you should be using an anti-virus program to intercept viruses that might be moving in or out of your network via email.
File servers
File servers are repositories for information. Running an antivirus program on a file server ensures that if someone uploads an infected file, then the file server detects the threat and prevents other users from becoming infected.
But I’m not running a mail or file server, just a desktop OS. Do I still need it?
If you have Windows computers on your network, AND you’re sharing files, it’s probably a good idea to run something like ClamAV, to keep the Windows machines safe. Don’t run this program in the background because you don’t want it to be consuming resources, but if you receive a ‘questionable’ file, you check the file for ‘legitimacy’ before passing it along. Otherwise you’re ‘immune’…
In conclusion:
The question we asked in the beginning, “Should I run antivirus software with Linux?”, has been answered. “It depends!” It depends in part on your setup, and your level of paranoia about such things. In my household I run Linux along side Windows machines, but have good virus protection on the Windows boxes and do minimal file sharing between the machines. I don’t run antivirus protection on Linux, and that seems to work for me. Antivirus on Linux just doesn’t seem necessary.
Oh, and one other question:
So if Linux works so well, AND I don’t need to hassle with all this antivirus nonsense, then why aren’t more people migrating from Windows to Linux? Good question!
