From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from lists.gentoo.org (pigeon.gentoo.org [208.92.234.80]) by finch.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F05DA1381F3 for ; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:34 +0000 (UTC) Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 03984E09B1; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:31 +0000 (UTC) Received: from smtp.gentoo.org (smtp.gentoo.org [140.211.166.183]) (using TLSv1 with cipher AECDH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id B8EDBE098A for ; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:29 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by smtp.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 037A233E968 for ; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:29 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new using ClamAV at gentoo.org X-Spam-Flag: NO X-Spam-Score: -1.255 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.255 tagged_above=-999 required=5.5 tests=[AWL=-2.228, DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED=0.001, FREEMAIL_FROM=0.001, NML_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED=1.2, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE=-0.0001, RP_MATCHES_RCVD=-0.227, SPF_HELO_PASS=-0.001, SPF_PASS=-0.001] autolearn=no Received: from smtp.gentoo.org ([IPv6:::ffff:127.0.0.1]) by localhost (smtp.gentoo.org [IPv6:::ffff:127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id aZ-SzKrJOHW4 for ; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:23 +0000 (UTC) Received: from plane.gmane.org (plane.gmane.org [80.91.229.3]) (using TLSv1 with cipher AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by smtp.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3033633E951 for ; Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from list by plane.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1UvEhl-0007A4-2k for gentoo-user@gentoo.org; Sat, 06 Jul 2013 00:42:17 +0200 Received: from dsl.comtrol.com ([64.122.56.22]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 06 Jul 2013 00:42:17 +0200 Received: from grant.b.edwards by dsl.comtrol.com with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 06 Jul 2013 00:42:17 +0200 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org From: Grant Edwards Subject: [gentoo-user] Re: Linux viruses Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2013 22:42:00 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: References: <51D728BA.4060906@gmail.com> X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: dsl.comtrol.com User-Agent: slrn/1.0.1 (Linux) Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org X-Archives-Salt: 5906682c-c1b5-423a-9c92-37c0f3c59050 X-Archives-Hash: e7d0f47e9eca5c54f014f761e1dcff30 On 2013-07-05, Paul Hartman wrote: > On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 3:12 PM, Dale wrote: >> >> I had a interesting adventure the other day. A friend of mine's son >> is getting ready to go to college. Budget is tight so we went to >> find a used laptop for him. I went into the local puter shop and the >> techie guy there had a interesting statement that makes me think I'm >> not recommending them for computer service to anyone else. While we >> was chatting, he said that Linux is just as prone to getting a virus >> as windoze and so is a Mac. I think my laughing let him know I >> wasn't buying his comment. >> >> I since did some googling and it seems I am right and he just thought >> I was some know nothing guy he could sell some service too. Anyway, >> has anything changed to make Linux more prone to viruses than it used >> to be? I read a percentage somewhere that said like 99% of viruses >> are windoze only. Is there a indisputable source of information on >> this? > > There have absolutely been viruses and various root exploits for > Linux systems, but to say it is even 1% as many as Windows would > probably be a massive overstatement. > > Not that Linux or Mac are necessarily inherently more secure than > Windows, Well, I'm pretty sure that was the case for Linux for most of the past 20 years. People who's opinions I trust tell me that Windows security has vastly improved in the past few years. Even so, a 90% reduction in security issues in Windows still leaves them at least a factor of 10 worse that most all recent Linux distros that are installed and updated with even minimal competence. That said, even Linux has exploits. Once upon a time about 12 years ago, one of my Linux boxes got rooted. That machine was still using dial-up (no firewall). It had an external modem with tx/rx LEDs, and I always made sure the modem was sitting in plain site. One day I noticed the tx/rx LEDs start flashing when there shouldn't have been any network traffic. I disconnected the phone line, and after some investigation found a root-kit had been installed. I powered off the machine, signed up for DSL (which included a modem with a router/firewall), wiped the disk, and reinstalled the OS. Haven't had a problem since then... [Famous last words.] Never trust a modem/router/firewall without tx/rx LEDs. Of course these days there are so many devices on the network that are phoning home to check for firmware updates, get TV schedule info, check the weather, and report everything I do to the NSA that there's network traffic 24/7 regardless of what I'm doing. -- Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards Yow! Send your questions to at ``ASK ZIPPY'', Box 40474, gmail.com San Francisco, CA 94140, USA