Fear of a Linux virus

Posted Apr 13, 2006 5:04 UTC (Thu) by eru (subscriber, #2753) [Link]

Indeed. I recall reading recently somewhere that most of Windows malware these days propagates by "social engineering" tricks, not any more by operating system or application holes. The user is tricked into executing code from an email or web page, which then can do whatever the user has authority to do, which usually includes sending more copies of the email. The more Linux desktops get "Windows-like" automation features (and both Gnome and KDE keep trying to add them), the more susceptible Linux becomes to this kind of malware. Technically the OS does not get infected (kernel, /bin, etc are safe), but the user's desktop environment could be, meaning whatever he does within it may be compromized. See the recent LWN discussion here (".desktop files and security")

Posted Apr 13, 2006 5:05 UTC (Thu) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]

Of course. But the virus companies offer a "round up the usual suspects" approach. Instead of closing security holes, they want to detect the specific programs that attack the holes. As soon as someone makes a new one, everyone is vulnerable until the virus companies upgrade their patterns, and this forces all the users of the anti-virus software to keep buying the service, so they get the upgrades. It is the wrong way to secure systems.

The right way, when a vulnerability is found, is to patch the vulnerability, so that no possible malware can exploit it. If this isn't possible right away, it is sometimes possible to offer other defenses. But trying to recognize malware is not the right approach.

Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:01 UTC (Thu) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link]

WordPerfect has macro capability. PerfectScript is considered more powerful than VBA.

And yet, WordPerfect is only vulnerable to viruses through its VBA add-in (which I never install :-)

Hopefully, the OOo and any other office-type authors on linux have gone down the "emulate WordPerfect" route, not the "emulate MS" one when adding scripting to their apps.

So no. There's no reason why linux should be vulnerable to macro viruses, other than thanks to stupid developers and idiot PHBs.

Cheers,
Wol