Stop all malware!

Jonni Bidwell isn’t sure if malware could break his PC more than he does, but he doesn’t really want to find out…

You may think we’re exaggerating, but just check out our guide on

the range of malware “How about software that spies on you via your webcam or microphone?”

Linux is no place for malware! “Its small user base means no one’s interested in attacking it. The culture of downloading and running random stuff from the web doesn’t exist.

It’s more secure. Ecosystem fragmentation works in its favour, making it hard to target a particular distro”, they bellow!

Sadly, none of that is true. Linux servers run most of the internet, there are billions of Android phones, as well as Arm and Mips-based routers and IOT devices. And people run things of the form curl…

| sudo bash all the time – it’s the recommended install method for a number of popular programs. So the time for Linux complacency is over, and the time for long passwords, diligent opsec

and paranoid rants by deluded technical editors is upon us. Don’t worry though, we’ve prepared this comprehensive survey of the threats facing your Linux box and how to mitigate them.

Anyone that’s used Windows XP knows how annoying adware and nagware are. But what’s more concerning is malware that harvests email addresses, passwords, or encrypts your files. If that doesn’t scare you, how about software that spies on you via your webcams and microphones? How about malware that steals all your hard-earned cryptocurrency (or real money if you still believe in that)? These threats are all very real, but we’ll see that a few simple steps (use a password manager, keep your software up to date, don’t open suspect files, be careful which websites you visit) will go a long way towards protecting you.

We’ll look at how malware gets its claws in, how it’s discovered and what attackers’ motivations are. The web is a dangerous place, and more and more we’re seeing that web browsers can be compromised irrespective of the platform on which they’re running. So we’ll do a deep dive on securing your browser. We’ll also delve into the (small) world of Linux antivirus.