Repeat after me (slowly):

Linux has more installs than Windows.

"Linux has m o r ...." ... never mind!... you know what I mean! ... I'm a complete iggy when it comes to Linux, but aren't there a few nasty viruses out there already threatening the system?

 

...but aren't there a few nasty viruses out there already threatening the system?

No.

 

No.

Hard to believe, since there are viruses for Android already... but I'll take your word for it, and do a little research on my own

 

Hard to believe, since there are viruses for Android already... but I'll take your word for it, and do a little research on my own

There are plenty of Linux OS theoretical threats for insecure systems but most in the wild don't affect the latest secure versions because it's patched quickly. The Google Android universe is currently secure but the old insecure releases that are never updated by Chinese OEMs are sometimes easily targeted.

https://www.welivesecurity.com/2017/04/25/linux-shishiga-malware-using-lua-scripts/

 

There are plenty of Linux OS theoretical threats for insecure systems but most in the wild don't affect the latest secure versions because it's patched quickly. The Google Android universe is currently secure but the old insecure releases that are never updated by Chinese OEMs are sometimes easily targeted.

https://www.welivesecurity.com/2017/04/25/linux-shishiga-malware-using-lua-scripts/

And of course, I suppose that one has to differentiate between virus and malware...

 

I guess they stopped using the word ... virus ....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_malware

linux virus list returned About 5,080,000 results

 

linux virus list returned About 5,080,000 results

Good point. And "alien abductions" returns only about 2.5M hits.

Therefore, you have about 2x the likelihood of a Linux virus vs. being abducted by aliens.

 

Trojans

• Effusion - 32/64-bit injector for Apache/Nginx webservers, (7 Jan 2014)
• Hand of Thief - Banking trojan, 2013,
• Kaiten - Linux.Backdoor.Kaiten trojan horse.
• Rexob - Linux.Backdoor.Rexob trojan.
• Waterfall screensaver backdoor - on gnome-look.org.
• Tsunami.gen — Backdoor.Linux.Tsunami.gen.

a short list

 

Noting against Linux, but I don't have the patience to try to run my Windows' programs on some Linux emulator.
And I haven't had any virus/malware on my Windows machine in several years,

 

...some Linux emulator...

There's a Windows emulator for Linux???

 

There's a Windows emulator for Linux???

 

Here is something new and different: helpful malware...

The link brings up a Google News search for "BrickerBot". This issue is brand new (so it seems), and I don't yet know which articles/authors/publications are authoritative ... and which are sensationalized (or, Fake!).

Please note: BrickerBot does not reflect a "weakness" in Linux. It reflects the fact that there are many lazy engineers who leave ports open, run unneeded services, and don't change default passwords.

 

Hello,

I just use WINE to run LTSpice on my linux box.

Bertus

 

There's a Windows emulator for Linux???

Doesn't Wine allow you to run some Windows programs on Linux?

 

Doesn't Wine allow you to run some Windows programs on Linux?

Yebbut, WINE is a recursive acronym for WINE Is Not an Emulator.

 

Hello,

@crutschow , Yes, WINE allows you to run various windows programs on linux.
https://www.winehq.org/
They have a database wich programs will run and wich not:
https://appdb.winehq.org/

From the site:
Wine (originally an acronym for "Wine Is Not an Emulator") is a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on several POSIX-compliant operating systems, such as Linux, macOS, & BSD. Instead of simulating internal Windows logic like a virtual machine or emulator, Wine translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls on-the-fly, eliminating the performance and memory penalties of other methods and allowing you to cleanly integrate Windows applications into your desktop.

Bertus

 

If the world would dump Microsoft, this couldn't happen. At a minimum, Redmond should be held responsible for the ransoms.

 

If the world would dump Microsoft, this couldn't happen. At a minimum, Redmond should be held responsible for the ransoms.

So you really think that if all the hackers out here were trying to crack Linux systems they couldn't do it?

 

@crutschow
You nailed it. So funny how you Schooled @joeyd999 on, if all things, Linux.

Noting against Linux, but I don't have the patience to try to run my Windows' programs on some Linux emulator.
And I haven't had any virus/malware on my Windows machine in several years,

There's a Windows emulator for Linux???

Doesn't Wine allow you to run some Windows programs on Linux?

Then Joey takes the time to start Googling and he is suddenly an expert! Too funny.

Yebbut, WINE is a recursive acronym for WINE Is Not an Emulator.

 

So you really think that if all the hackers out here were trying to crack Linux systems they couldn't do it?

They are, and they can't.

All the big internet pipes are run by Linux. They are a goldmine compared to Windows.