Virus threatens PCs running Linux or Windows

ComputerWorld ^ | April 2006 | Robert McMillan

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Hackers have released a sample code for a virus that could infect both Linux and Windows PCs. The virus, which was given the double name Virus.Linux.Bi.a/ Virus.Win32.Bi.a, was reported Friday by security firm Kaspersky Lab. Security researchers worry that the malicious code may be part of a disturbing new trend of viruses that can run on Windows, as well as other operating systems that have been largely ignored by hackers.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Excellent

[FLAMING DEATH]

"Much smarter folks than I have pointed out that only idiots believe Linux is totally immune from such things. I agree with them. We can never safely assume that Linux is as secure as it can be. But when a Microsoft partner creates a tsunami of headlines with a story about a phony, fabricated "virus," which admittedly is not contagious, and which requires the user to execute it in order for it to do anything at all, I don't call it a virus. I call it BS."

http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/04/10/2218210&from=rss

[zeugma]

"Much smarter folks than I have pointed out that only idiots believe Linux is totally immune from such things. I agree with them. We can never safely assume that Linux is as secure as it can be. But when a Microsoft partner creates a tsunami of headlines with a story about a phony, fabricated "virus," which admittedly is not contagious, and which requires the user to execute it in order for it to do anything at all, I don't call it a virus. I call it BS."

Great quote. No OS is completely invulnerable, though VMS comes pretty darn close. I take precautions on my Linux boxes even though the threat is low. Anyone who doesn't is asking for trouble.