Does ubuntu need a anti virus program?

[kinngg]

Does ubuntu need a anti virus program?

[tbroderick]

Nope

[julian67]

No. Only if you run a mail server. You can google these forums and others for all the arguments for and against but the answer is no, unless you need placebo.

[dimbulb1024]

From what I have read, you don't really need one for yourself, but you can pass along viruses to those who use Windows. So the only reason to use one right now is to filter emails and such that go to Windows users.

[antisocialist]

if u use yahoo for your email then you dont need one as yahoo scans incoming and outgoing emails with norton, but otherwise you should probably install something like clamwin ( applications>add/remove programs> search clamwin and install it) it updates itself etc.

[asmoore82]

Originally Posted by antisocialist if u use yahoo for your email then you dont need one as yahoo scans incoming and outgoing emails with norton, but otherwise you should probably install something like clamwin ( applications>add/remove programs> search clamwin and install it) it updates itself etc.

not even

Short Answer: No.
Long Answer: No, Sir!

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CriticismFAQ...891411191121f2

[julian67]

Originally Posted by antisocialist if u use yahoo for your email then you dont need one as yahoo scans incoming and outgoing emails with norton, but otherwise you should probably install something like clamwin ( applications>add/remove programs> search clamwin and install it) it updates itself etc.

No no no no no!!!!!!!!!! If you're not vulnerable you don't need a cure! It's a total waste of time. Think about it:

Your system is not vulnerable to Virus....so you don't need to run AV.

Other people's might be so they do run Anti Virus.....so again you don't need to!!!!

It isn't complicated. As a Linux (or Mac or Solaris or BSD) user you get zero benefit from running AV. And nobody else benefits either because the people who have protection are protected anyway and the people who don't have protection are already compromised in hundreds or even thousands of ways. You make no impact, not even a tiny fractional percentage point of difference. Zero. Nil. Nix. Nothing. But your machine runs a lot slower.

[rsambuca]

If you conducted a simple search of these forums, you would have found numerous threads on this topic. Here are a few (the first one is a must-read!)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=510812

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=561564

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=559648

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=136064

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=510010

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=543443

[xpod]

I think i had ClamAV on that very first install during that very first week only.But never since.
I quickly got over it and have never had any of those type problems in the 14 months i`ve used linux now.....

This helps clear up a lot of initial confusion i think.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=510812

[DarkGob]

The webcomic XKCD sums this thread up quite nicely.