Been spending some time in the Ubuntu Forums which are pretty massive and growing as more move to linux. Came across this interesting article and thought of passing it on.
Note how simply things are done in Ubuntu as opposed to Windows.
The more I use linux the more it impresses...
Security summarized
http://ubuntutip.googlepages.com/security
First of all: there is no 100 % security. Not in real life and not in the digital world. Not even when your computer is running Linux. You should always use your common sense. And even then it can go wrong. A certain amount of risk, however small, is unavoidable. A Frenchman would say: c'est la vie.
About viruses, firewalls and exploits I can be brief:
You don't need a virus scanner in Ubuntu 8.04. Because a virus can't do anything in Linux. Mainly because of this: to install on your computer a virus needs your password. And that it doesn't have. Therefore there are no Linux viruses "in the wild".
A firewall is already installed by default. It's called IPtables. IPtables can be managed through the application Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw), which is also installed by default.
The firewall isn't activated, because behind the ports that are exposed to the internet, there aren't any listening services. At least not in a standard installation. An attacker can't do anything without a listening service.
If you would like to turn the firewall on anyway, then you can do so in the terminal (yikes!). In certain cases doing this may even be wise, for instance when you've activated some services on your computer.
This is how you do it:
Applications - Accessories - Terminal
type:
sudo ufw enable
press Enter
(your password will remain invisible, not even asterisks, which is normal).
To disable the firewall:
sudo ufw disable
To check the status of the firewall:
sudo ufw status
Exploitable security vulnerabilities can appear in any operating system and in every application. Also in Linux. From these you'll be protected by the updates. Ubuntu automatically performs a daily check for available updates. It's important to install the proposed updates immediately, if you want to keep your system as safe as possible.
As long as it's discovered quickly and repaired speedily, a vulnerability is no big problem.
Armour your browser
To round it off: if you're at all unsure about a certain website, but still want to visit it, it may be wise to install and temporarily activate the Firefox add-on NoScript. Among other things, NoScript will armour your web browser by disabling all java scripts and java applets.
Install it thus: Firefox toolbar - Tools - Add-ons - Get Add-ons - Browse All Add-ons.
The full story
The full story is as follows.
Because of the growth of Linux, most antivirus companies want to tap this new market. Many new Linux users think that they need an antivirus solution in Linux, because of the clever marketing of these companies.
The opposite is true, however. Unlike other operating systems, it's almost impossible to write an effective virus for Linux. How can this be, you might wonder. I will try to explain why.
Linux computers are just as well a target as computers that run on a different operating system. Many popular (and therefore valuable) websites run on Linux, so there is no lack of motivation to infect Linux.
Some people suggest that the Linux community is conceited or lagging behind when it comes to viruses or other security issues. This suggestion is not true. The developers of Linux haven't ignored viruses, they have structured Linux in such a way that it has good resistance to viruses. And because the code is open, there are literally thousands of people who check the code for errors and propose fixes.
Virus scanners work mainly "reactively", which means that they only provide protection against viruses that are already known to the creators of the scanner. Antivirus applications can only protect against a new Linux virus AFTER that virus has been created, not before.
More importantly still, the best protection against any virus will consist of repairing those leaks in the software, which the virus attacks. These repairs happen by means of security updates (which in Linux are issued sooner and more often than in Windows and Mac OS). Few antivirus companies have a faster response time than the Ubuntu security team. The time frame between public disclosure of a security problem and the making of an antivirus solution or a repair, is obviously the most dangerous period.
As I've said before: a vulnerability is no big problem, as long as it's discovered quickly and repaired speedily.
It's difficult to install a virus on a Linux computer, but it's certainly not impossible. The greatest danger lies in unreliable software repositories and in unsafe code that a careless administrator executes. At present there are in any case no Linux viruses "in the wild."
My advice is therefore not to install a virus scanner if you run Linux on your computer. A summary of the reasons:
1. In Linux, the executability of a file is not determined by an extension (like for example .exe in Windows), but by the rights adhering to this file. Each newly created file is by default not executable under Linux, and the user will first need to make this file executable by an explicit action.
2. In Linux a normal user has but very limited rights. For example, a normal user can't perform administrative tasks. And so the scope of this user is actually limited to his own home folder. For installing software you always need to be root (or to have temporary root rights, which is Ubuntu's way).
In Ubuntu, by default, even the administrator logs in with limited user rights. Should he wish to perform an administrative task, then he has to type his password again, to obtain temporary root rights. This will give him 15 minutes of root authority.
3. Many Linux users tweak their system according to their own taste. Because of the variety of Linux distributions, applications and kernel versions, it's difficult to write an exploit through which enough systems can be exploited to make the effort of creating an exploit worthwhile.
4. Virus scanners scan mainly for Windows viruses. These viruses don't work in Linux, not even in Windows emulator Wine.
5. Virus scanners often issue false warnings. Possibly intentionally, to make the user feel good about the presence of the scanner.
6. There are currently no known active Linux viruses.
Back to the homepage
Note how simply things are done in Ubuntu as opposed to Windows.
The more I use linux the more it impresses...
Security summarized
http://ubuntutip.googlepages.com/security
First of all: there is no 100 % security. Not in real life and not in the digital world. Not even when your computer is running Linux. You should always use your common sense. And even then it can go wrong. A certain amount of risk, however small, is unavoidable. A Frenchman would say: c'est la vie.
About viruses, firewalls and exploits I can be brief:
You don't need a virus scanner in Ubuntu 8.04. Because a virus can't do anything in Linux. Mainly because of this: to install on your computer a virus needs your password. And that it doesn't have. Therefore there are no Linux viruses "in the wild".
A firewall is already installed by default. It's called IPtables. IPtables can be managed through the application Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw), which is also installed by default.
The firewall isn't activated, because behind the ports that are exposed to the internet, there aren't any listening services. At least not in a standard installation. An attacker can't do anything without a listening service.
If you would like to turn the firewall on anyway, then you can do so in the terminal (yikes!). In certain cases doing this may even be wise, for instance when you've activated some services on your computer.
This is how you do it:
Applications - Accessories - Terminal
type:
sudo ufw enable
press Enter
(your password will remain invisible, not even asterisks, which is normal).
To disable the firewall:
sudo ufw disable
To check the status of the firewall:
sudo ufw status
Exploitable security vulnerabilities can appear in any operating system and in every application. Also in Linux. From these you'll be protected by the updates. Ubuntu automatically performs a daily check for available updates. It's important to install the proposed updates immediately, if you want to keep your system as safe as possible.
As long as it's discovered quickly and repaired speedily, a vulnerability is no big problem.
Armour your browser
To round it off: if you're at all unsure about a certain website, but still want to visit it, it may be wise to install and temporarily activate the Firefox add-on NoScript. Among other things, NoScript will armour your web browser by disabling all java scripts and java applets.
Install it thus: Firefox toolbar - Tools - Add-ons - Get Add-ons - Browse All Add-ons.
The full story
The full story is as follows.
Because of the growth of Linux, most antivirus companies want to tap this new market. Many new Linux users think that they need an antivirus solution in Linux, because of the clever marketing of these companies.
The opposite is true, however. Unlike other operating systems, it's almost impossible to write an effective virus for Linux. How can this be, you might wonder. I will try to explain why.
Linux computers are just as well a target as computers that run on a different operating system. Many popular (and therefore valuable) websites run on Linux, so there is no lack of motivation to infect Linux.
Some people suggest that the Linux community is conceited or lagging behind when it comes to viruses or other security issues. This suggestion is not true. The developers of Linux haven't ignored viruses, they have structured Linux in such a way that it has good resistance to viruses. And because the code is open, there are literally thousands of people who check the code for errors and propose fixes.
Virus scanners work mainly "reactively", which means that they only provide protection against viruses that are already known to the creators of the scanner. Antivirus applications can only protect against a new Linux virus AFTER that virus has been created, not before.
More importantly still, the best protection against any virus will consist of repairing those leaks in the software, which the virus attacks. These repairs happen by means of security updates (which in Linux are issued sooner and more often than in Windows and Mac OS). Few antivirus companies have a faster response time than the Ubuntu security team. The time frame between public disclosure of a security problem and the making of an antivirus solution or a repair, is obviously the most dangerous period.
As I've said before: a vulnerability is no big problem, as long as it's discovered quickly and repaired speedily.
It's difficult to install a virus on a Linux computer, but it's certainly not impossible. The greatest danger lies in unreliable software repositories and in unsafe code that a careless administrator executes. At present there are in any case no Linux viruses "in the wild."
My advice is therefore not to install a virus scanner if you run Linux on your computer. A summary of the reasons:
1. In Linux, the executability of a file is not determined by an extension (like for example .exe in Windows), but by the rights adhering to this file. Each newly created file is by default not executable under Linux, and the user will first need to make this file executable by an explicit action.
2. In Linux a normal user has but very limited rights. For example, a normal user can't perform administrative tasks. And so the scope of this user is actually limited to his own home folder. For installing software you always need to be root (or to have temporary root rights, which is Ubuntu's way).
In Ubuntu, by default, even the administrator logs in with limited user rights. Should he wish to perform an administrative task, then he has to type his password again, to obtain temporary root rights. This will give him 15 minutes of root authority.
3. Many Linux users tweak their system according to their own taste. Because of the variety of Linux distributions, applications and kernel versions, it's difficult to write an exploit through which enough systems can be exploited to make the effort of creating an exploit worthwhile.
4. Virus scanners scan mainly for Windows viruses. These viruses don't work in Linux, not even in Windows emulator Wine.
5. Virus scanners often issue false warnings. Possibly intentionally, to make the user feel good about the presence of the scanner.
6. There are currently no known active Linux viruses.
Back to the homepage
