After having travelled through the virus infested land of Windows, new Linux converts often have queries about viruses on their Linux systems. Here I will demystify all those queries related to Viruses, Antivirus software’s etc once & for all.

One of the people who switched to Ubuntu Linux recently, phoned me asking what kind of antivirus they should have installed. Quite frankly, I’ve never given that a thought. I’ve used Ubuntu for some time and have never had any virus issues, ever. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that Linux is impervious to a computer virus, rather I’m suggesting that (currently) it’s not an issue. As a matter of fact, I did a bit of research and found out that there are viruses, worms and malware that effect our Linux based systems.

Just because you use Linux, it doesn't mean your computer doesn't have viruses or worms. Virus is a catch-all phrase, and BitDefender's designed to catch them all - from executable viruses, script viruses, macro viruses, to backdoors, trojans, spyware, adware, diallers, and more.

This tutorial shows how you can install and use F-PROT Antivirus on an Ubuntu Feisty Fawn desktop. Although there aren't many Linux viruses out there, this can be useful if you often exchange files with Windows users - it can help you to not pass on any Windows viruses (that don't do any harm to Linux systems) to Windows users. F-PROT Antivirus for Linux is free for home use.

Estimates vary, but generally it is believed that there are 100 to 500 Linux viruses out there. The tiny number of Linux viruses that do exist have never resulted in a significant outbreak. In comparison to the plethora of viruses and worms in Windows-based platforms, the volume of Linux viruses is insignificant. So this leads us to two questions: why are there so few Linux viruses and are Linux anti-virus tools necessary?

One of the areas where Linux really shines is security: you do not really need an antivirus if you are running Linux as an end user. In the Windows world however a good antivirus is almost a requirement as viruses and malwares are commonplace. I have personally seen Windows computers being infected less than an hour after being connected to the internet.

As we already know, Linux is immune to viruses and other nasty malware. However, there are still a lot of other reasons to install an antivirus program on your Linux computer.

It just isn't fair that Windows users get all the viruses. I mean really, shouldn't Linux users be in on the fun as well? Well... thanks to the folks running the Wine project, Linux users can "catch the virus bug" too -- sort of.

This tutorial shows how you can install and use AVG Antivirus on an Ubuntu Feisty Fawn desktop. Although there aren't many Linux viruses out there, this can be useful if you often exchange files with Windows users