Thanks for the info. I’m a Linux newbie. Just playing with an OLD 32-bit laptop. Running Linux Mint 19.3 xfce which is all this old PC can handle. Tried 19.3 Cinnamon, but it kept locking up.
Brave.com (which I really like) no longer supports 32-bit hardware, so I just use the browsing software that came with xcfe.
Any recommendations?
Linux use to be safe because the bad guys focused on Windows. Sad to see it is now a target.
MacOS. It just works.
Windows is so 1990s.
Linux runs the world and is pretty darned safe, but still not a mainstream OS.
If you want or need Unix and a “normal” operating system, just get a Mac. Out of the box it will do everything Windows and Linux does, without the headaches.
Now I know someone will say that MacOS is not available on Cloud Computing platforms, & etc. and so forth - so sue me.
If you want a computer that works without fuss, or having to read articles on how to use it in order not to break it, or protect it so it doesn’t break...yeah, I know what I’m talking about.
Tinkerers, enjoy your Windows crap. Techie hackers, play with Linux whatever flavor suits you. Do-ers, just use your smarts.
Let the flames begin.
I’ve always heard that Linux was near bullet-proof. The worst it would do is pass along Windows-based viruses but not corrupt itself. There went that dream.
Use a VPN
…To avoid infecting your Linux device with malware, you should use a VPN.
All a VPN does is change the IP address sites see and stopping the viewing of your traffic to and from that exposed endpoint. Your computer and browser get no malware protection from that and all traffic to the Internet that has to happen as it leaves the remote IP address are able to be seen, again.
The author doesn't ave a clue on this point.
i run lynis and it doesn’t display the end results- the terminal just disappears as soon as it is done running
Impossible! /S
My recommendation is get an iPhone along with this, which has been amazing for me so far. Don’t laugh at the specs, with this new chip this thing is blazing fast.
Apple - Mac mini Desktop - M2 Chip - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD
$599
Android is where infections are far more likely to occur among Linux kernel devices, rather than desktops, for Android devices are used way more than Desktops. Thus more likely to be targeted, while Linux desktop users overall are more security conscious, and have more tech knowledge. And overall infections are almost always the fault of the user, and his "driving" habits. Likewise, 83% of all Windows malware threats, or roughly 92.3 million, were discovered on consumer computers, while 15%, or 16.7 million, were discovered on business systems And since according to one report, 95 percent of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error, and as Linux desktop users as a class are likely more tech savy and more skillful (at least years ago) then even among desktop users they would be less prone to infections than your average Windows user on that basis alone, in addition to Linux being more secure.
Researchers at Check Point examined cyberattacks in the first half of 2019 and found that those targeting smartphones and other mobile devices have risen by 50% compared with last year”. - Mobile malware attacks are booming in 2019: These are the most common threats
Research showed a 500% increase in mobile Malware in 2022 and also an 80% increase in banking malware attacks on Android devices; this is high and calls for mobile defense.” - Mobile Malware is Increasing Rapidly: Steps to Reduce your Risk
Analysis based on the malware threat statistics by a threat intelligence platform AV-TEST Gmb based in Germany, found that "the number of new Linux malware reached record highs in the first half of 2022, as nearly 1.7 million samples were discovered. Compared to the same period last year, when 226,324 samples were found, new Linux malware numbers soared by close to 650%.... the cumulative number of new Linux malware samples in H1 2022 was 31% higher than the number of such samples in the whole year of 2021...Although Linux was the only operating system that saw growth in new malware samples in the first half of this year, Windows had the most significant number of new malware applications overall. "
Note that "the most significant number" must be objectively understood relative to the number of users on the platforms installed on it, in which for Windows is desktops and laptops in which is clearly predominates, thus having the most significant number is not surprising, versus mobile devices, where Windows was once judged well in security. Linux desktops are also not much of a target since users of such make up a very small market of such, and require more input to install apps.
Yet in testing [at the time], Microsoft Defender scored 9.6, which is better than any other free product tested with this same sample set, doing better or equal to at that time in 2022 than some of its free "heavyweight rival programs like those from Avast, AVG, and Malwarebytes."
I read this and then rooted around to see what this lynis thing is, installed it and ran it in audit mode and it flagged a lot of things but the one of most interest to me was the warning that I have no iptables set up so I am a sitting duck.
So I rooted around some more and found this.
https://www.thegeekstuff.com/2011/03/iptables-inbound-and-outbound-rules/
Completely crashed my communications. Locked in and locked out of the rest of the world.
iptables -F would not solve the problem.
Final fix, .sh file renamed so the computer could not recognize it, iptables -F, a reboot to get rid of any memory problems and now all is well.
In my haste, I forgot that my router is major protection and I am using noip for my IP and they are not allowing bad stuff to pass through.
Plus I use clamav very day.
I have never had an infected machine since I got rid of windoz, and that was when linux users had to build their own system. A long time ago.
A dumb impulsive result of letting bad information influence me.
Be careful.
Last week my Windows 10 pc started having issues with programs not opening, files in the Program Files folders missing. List of programs in Programs & Features missing.
In the end I had to do a clean install of Windows 10 after trying a Windows install over itself (same issue afterwards) and then my EaseUS image recovery which got stuck afterward at the boot. Hours later I installed the brand new copy of Windows 10 and then bought Macrium Reflect 8 and tested it’s ability to recover after I created a image.
I suspect a recent Windows update started the issues as I did not install or modify anything till that point.
My verdict is Windows 10 is a virus.
I have now blocked any new updates. I will rely on my anti-virus to protect against virus and ransomeware and Macrium Reflect also have an ability to protect against.
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-updates-installing-automatically-windows-10
As always, excellent post and info
#1 thing you can do to keep yourself safe, is not to run as root. Always use sudo, and have it prompt for a password.
#2 Backup every day. I use backintime. It rocks. As a normal user I can’t access the backups, so if something does compromise me, my backups are still safe. I also recommend to also have an offsite backup. I swap mine quarterly, which isn’t perfect, but better than nothing. Do NOT use network backups!
I also run chkrootkit regularly. Wish it had logging.