Linux Virus: A False Sense Of Security

[halovivek]

Linux Virus: A False Sense Of Security
i read this in this link

Need more information on this...

[Skripka]

Linux Virus: A False Sense Of Security
i read this in this link

Need more information on this...

"Why GNU/Linux Viruses are fairly uncommon" from Charlie Harvey
evilmalware 0.6 (beta)

Copyright 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005
E\/17 |-|4><0|2z Software Foundation, Inc.

This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is
NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY, COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF IMPORTANT
DATA or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE (eg. sending thousands of ******
spams to people accross the world).

Basic Installation
==================

Before attempting to compile this virus make sure you have the correct
version of glibc installed, and that your firewall rules are set to `allow
everything'.

1. Put the attachment into the appropriate directory eg. /usr/src

2. Type `tar xvzf evilmalware.tar.gz' to extract the source files for
this virus.

3. `cd' to the directory containing the virus's source code and type
`./configure' to configure the virus for your system. If you're
using `csh' on an old version of System V, you might need to type
`sh ./configure' instead to prevent `csh' from trying to execute
`configure' itself.

4. Type `make' to compile the package. You may need to be logged in as
root to do this.

5. Optionally, type `make check_payable' to run any self-tests that come
with the virus, and send a large donation to an unnumbered Swiss bank
account.

6. Type `make install' to install the virus and any spyware, trojans
pornography, ***** enlargement adverts and DDoS attacks that
come with it.

7. You may now configure your preferred malware behaviour in
/etc/evilmalware.conf .

SEE ALSO
evilmalware(1), evilmalware.conf(5), please_delete_all_my_files(1)

[bashveank]

Or just run the .bin

[Sealbhach]

What about a .deb that looks harmless and adds itself to startup sessions?


.

[Dragonbite]

Where does AppArmor and SELinux fall?

[Skripka]

What about a .deb that looks harmless and adds itself to startup sessions?


.

The weakest link in computer security, usually, ends up being the user.

[Sub101]

There is a similar situation arising with mac:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7760344.stm

[sydbat]

There is a similar situation arising with mac:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7760344.stm

Not sure how...seeing as it is a Unix OS...unless Apple set it up similar to the way Windows is, with everything root/admin...

[bodhi.zazen]

Linux Virus: A False Sense Of Security
i read this in this link

Need more information on this...

As you might imagine this is a recurring issue. I have tow thoughts on this issue.

First, Linux is not windows. As such security is different and neither worms or viruses are major issues (on Linux) at this time. Viruses and worms take advantage of holes in the code and while there have been viruses and worms written, the open source community has long since patched the code and the known viruses will not run on an up to date system. This is not the case in Windows where know holes remain unpatched for dare I say decades ?

The solution to viruses on Linux is to keep your system up to date, including security patches / updates. The solution on Windows is to run antiviurs. Different OS, different solutions.

Now it may be that in the future Linux users may need to run antivirus software, that is a matter of speculation.

Second, yes I agree Linux users take security for granted. I suggest you read the stickies on this forum, both security and intrusion detection.

[Kinstonian]

After skimming over the article I agree with it. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing special about Linux that prevents it from being a target of malware. In fact Windows Vista has many more built in security measures than Linux such as Windows Resource Protection, Mandatory Integrity Control, Services Hardening, Volume Snapshot Service, Windows Defender, etc.

The reason why Linux doesn't have much malware isn't because of the operating system itself, it's because of the environment it's in and the culture that surrounds it. For example, Linux accounts for only around 1% of the desktop market compared with around 90% for Windows. If someone is going to write malware to make money (which is the most common motive now) then they are going to write it to work on Windows. It's simple economics.

Also, the average Linux user is far more tech savvy than the average Windows user. Most Linux users aren't going to run mobile code from shady web sites, or run attachments in email, etc. They are also more likely to get software from trusted sources such as repositories or straight from the software vendors site, and then use cryptography to make sure it hasn't been modified before they install it.

Historically *nix has been known for being stable and secure while not being user friendly. On the other hand, Windows has been known for being user friendly, but not stable or secure. However, over time both OS's have improved dramatically on their weaknesses. Windows Vista is much more stable and secure, where *nix with distributions like Ubuntu are much more user friendly. The lack of usability has been a huge problem for *nix. As it improves, I expect it will gain more market share, and at the same time, become more of a target.