[vox-tech] linux and viruses

[Ryan]

On Thursday 23 February 2006 06:31 pm, Cylar Z cylarz-at-yahoo.com |lugod| 
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Hope this isn't too inappropriate for this list...feel
> free to chastise me if it is.
>
> Here's the skinny. I'm trying to get my systems
> administrator (at work) to let me connect a laptop to
> his network so that I can surf the web at lunchtime.
> Now, the sysadmin is strictly a Microsoft man and
> knows nothing at all about Linux. He has balked at my
> request because while he is worried that I might
> inadvertently bring viruses/spyware/malware onto his
> network. It turns out that he was not even aware that
> Linux can speak TCP/IP and supports DHCP client
> networking functions.
>
> I tried telling him that my laptop will be running
> some flavor of Linux (most likely Fedora Core 4) and
> that Linux is virtually impervious to viruses. It
> hasn't swayed him.
>
> I guess my question to you all is this: Did I make a
> true statement? Is Linux really virus-proof? If so, is
> it just because of its relatively small share of the
> OS market, or is there a more technical reason for
> this? If so, what? If I told him one, it might get
> through to him.
>
> And what about malware? Is Linux resistant to that as
> well?
>
> Think of this as an opportunity to further infiltrate
> Microsoft's domain. Help me explain to my admin why
> attaching a Linux client won't hurt his network.
>
> Thanks, Matt
>

Windows is pretty unlikely to get viruses and malware if you don't run IE or 
Outlook/Outlook Express and firewall the crap out of it.  I never get 
anything on my windows system at work.

Users being highly computer savvy does a lot to protect against malware.

That said, generaly internet access on linux is not done as root, which 
limits the impact of malware somewhat.  Also, the software is generaly 
written with security in mind, and fixes are usualy relased faster then 
microsoft. But lack of it being targeted by malware authors does have a 
signifigant amount to do with it.


-- 
Ryan Castellucci - http://ryanc.org/
GPG Key: http://ryanc.org/files/publickey.asc