this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2024
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Thank you, but is there anyway I can check whether i am infected or not just for peace of mind?
No. Peace of mind comes from trusting, not from knowing.
Install clamav and run a scan. You will probably get false positives.
For instance the gnome polkit agent has a "malicious" image that it tries to load at start and if it succeeds it kills the program before it can run. This is to keep an actually malicious icon from being used. I spent days on that one lol
But isnt clam AV only for detecting Windows viruses?
Depends on the malware database you use, but out of the box it'll catch wide range of stuff, even linux malwares (which is rare but exists and mostly infect vulnerable web servers).
Not with 100% certainty outside of nuking your system. You’re probably fine.
Antivirus programs are generally the go-to method...
Note that anti-virus can only assert that you are infected, not the opposite.
You're saying even if you're not confirmed as infected, you're not necessarily confirmed as not being infected. In other words, you're talking about false positives.
Am I understanding you correctly?
The opposite. Not found negatives. Anti-virus software can only tell you that it didn't find a virus, not that there aren't any.
Yeah, what you just said is what I said I thought you said. (@_@)
We're on the same page; it's just that wording is hard.
Also, you all were right; I was wrong. Admission given. 👍
I think you're on the same page, but mean false negatives not false positive.
False negatives being the potential that you have the virus, but the scanner wasn't able to identify it so returned a "you're all clean" when in fact, you've got a dirty virus and should have listened in health class.
Yeah.
Like I said, words are hard. Lol.