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This issue We’re looking at how vulnerable Linux boxes are to evil malware. Have any of your systems been compromised, and what did you have to do to clean them out?

Jonni Bidwell

I remember getting a bootblock virus called Lamer Exterminator on my Amiga 500. It was notable because it could persist across warm reboots, infecting whatever floppy disk you booted next. This particular variant didn’t do any real damage – it just blanked the screen until an awkward key combination was pressed.

Nick Peers

So far, touch wood, the only experience of malware I’ve had has been with Windows machines. The tales I could tell, if I hadn’t blanked out the horror… although these days it’s the false-positives that are more disrupting than actual malware. With behavioural threats starting to outstrip bog-standard malware, is anyone truly safe?

Les Pounder

I once ran a Wordpress server on Ubuntu 14.04 and it fell prey to a few issues: bad plug-ins, user config and workflows. I fixed it by switching to Ghost and it has been a joy. Very little admin needed, apart from the usual updates to Ubuntu 16.04.

Shashank Sharma

I‘m happy to report that my Bash-fu has kept my system safe from malware. More likely, it’s probably on account of strict adherence to common-sense practices such as never ignoring security updates. I’m also shielded behind a strict firewall, and keep my ports locked, unless needed.

Alexander Tolstoy

I feel like Linux boxes are more vulnerable to human elements (and some thoughtless defaults too). I once had to disable autodiscovery in CUPS to prevent people from printing ‘rise of the machines’-like messages to remote LAN printers. (That’s pretty funny – Ed)