Ubuntu

linux is virus proof..

Huh? I already showed above with examples where that is not true at all! Not only is Linux not malware proof, but Linux boxes are frequently used to distribute malware - perhaps the more heinous crime!

This is Deja vu all over again. Mac users used to claim Macs were virus proof. And Firefox users claimed Firefox would make them safe and IE would make users unsafe. They were all living in dream worlds too.

Just because you are not walking around with a big target on your back does not mean you cannot be shot down. Just as with Macs and Firefox, when targeting Linux becomes more lucrative (i.e., when Linux becomes more popular), it too will be targeted more frequently.

no os is virus proof, but like i said for all real world use it is more or less virus proof.

of course linux can be infected with a virus, but you have to deliberately install the virus file first with root permissions,
there is no way it can be installed just by clicking on a link or surfing the web or even just opening a file you've downloaded.

yes our repo's are the weakest link, if someone can insert a virus into them then we are a lot more likely to install it, if it's in a program that we need/use.

why do you think the bad guys use linux boxes to distribute their malware? it's because they can not be infected or taken down easily.

for anyone who wants to be safe surfing the web, your a lot safer with a linux system and no virus checking utilities than a windows box and the best security programs out there trying to protect you.

no i don't think you need to be a good tech to use linux,

just look at me.. mr average, if ever there was one.

Claim to be just an average user… yet willing to take on the "Big Scary Duck"!

I think you need to stay off the "fan boy" wagon and deal with what was really said. No one disagreed that Linux at this time is overwhelmingly less likely to get infected. The sad fact is, as Linux gains a larger user base… the systems will also gain the attention of the malware authors. The weakest link at this point is the flawed belief by so many Linux users that they are "bullet proof". I believe this is the point the Digerati was making. If the Linux world continues down the path of denial with their eyes closed… there will eventually be a piper to pay. No one is suggesting fear… just awareness.

not trying to be a fan boy, just pointing out the fact that a virus needs to be manually installed onto a linux system by the user with root permissions before it can take over the machine and not just install itself by web browsing, clicking a link or opening a file. all os can be infected, just a lot harder to infect a linux system. for surfing the net then yes linux is virus proof in my honest opinion.

Seems rather obvious to me that with the source code being available for anyone, creating a virus to subvert the security will eventually be done and it will be nasty.

not trying to be a fan boy

lol

Well, I am glad you've changed your tune from your initial comments that "linux is virus proof." But you still speak with forked tongue by saying all operating systems can be infected then in the same breath claim linux is virus proof. Setting a condition (surfing the net) is hardly a valid condition. Malware can come via downloads, attachments and other means besides just surfing the net. You still sound like early Firefox users who claimed they were safe and IE6 users were not. That proved to be wrong too. It still boils down to the popularity of the OS and user discipline.

i haven't changed my tune or spoken with forked tongue.. if i download a file or open an attachment and it contains a virus, it can not install itself and take over my machine just by me opening it unlike on a windows pc, yes for for all intents and purposes a linux system is virus proof. to infect a linux system the file has to be installed/run with root permissions, now this is much harder to achieve on a linux system than any other. of course like any os it can be infected but it needs much more user intervention to accomplish, even if you infect 1 linux pc on a network it can't then infect the other linux pc's automatically so the virus is much harder to spread. like i said if you need a reason to try linux then malware is the best reason i know of, you'll be guaranteed not to get infected by the usual methods in my honest opinion. .

of course like any os it can be infected but it needs much more user intervention to accomplish, even if you infect 1 linux pc on a network it can't then infect the other linux pc's automatically so the virus is much harder to spread.

There were some studies done at (I believe) Wake Forest where they "purposefully" injected a worm into a linux based computer…. and infected all 75 other linux systems on the network… but I think this discussion has gone far enough for it's usefulness.

i haven't changed my tune or spoken with forked tongue

for all intents and purposes a linux system is virus proof.

of course like any os it can be infected

If not speaking with forked tongue, then it is out of both sides of your mouth with no corroborating evidence to substantiate your [left side, or is it right side?] claim. We've seen evidential links to respected IT experts and publications that you seem to have ignored. Several of your own colleagues here have reported their experiences, none supporting your position. If a system can be infected, it is not virus proof. Period. Whether it be Windows or Linux, to get infected, it takes a user to either do something, or fail to do something. The fact that Linux is harder to infect is immaterial, as is the fact that most Linux users (for now) tend to be more tech savvy and security aware. Same as it was for Firefox users. If Linux were virus proof, there would be no Lists of Linux malware. You seem to suggest it all boils down to root access. Sorry, but that too is incorrect. See Malicious things that a program can do without being root.

Now I can be just as stubborn as the next guy, okay, more so But I learned with my X that arguing with a wall is pointless. Give us some corroborating real evidence, Terry, not just a link to another user, but to legitimate research to support your virus proof position and I will revisit this topic. Otherwise, I agree with Tomk and contend this topic has now exceeded it's usefulness.