5 Reasons Why Linux Needs No Antivirus

Jul 9, 2017 · 4 mins read

So, maybe you have heard Linux PCs are super safe because they are not affected by viruses. Linux computers are almost immune to viruses. Yes, I said “almost” immune. But the percentage of PCs being affected is very less, even less than 1%. That is why people say that Linux does not need any antivirus. But why is that have you ever wondered? Here are the top 5 reasons why viruses do not affect Linux.

1. The exe problem

In Windows, programs that are run come in the form of executables (files that end with a .exe). However, Linux doesn’t support running these files. Linux runnable files come in .deb or .rpm format. Debian based distributions run .debs and RHEL distributions run .rpms. Most viruses come in exe format, thus they do not affect Linux machines. If a deb virus is made then it would not affect RHEL machines. And if rpm virus is made then it would not affect Debian machines. So, virus spreading to Linux machines or spreading through Linux machines is very very difficult.

2. Linux is not so popular

When it comes to popularity, Windows is the king of operating systems. Around 90% computers in the world run Windows. A hacker will, of course, want his virus to spread as quickly as possible. Making a virus for small number of Linux computers is not profitable. Thus, the huge network of Windows computers usually becomes the choice of hackers. With a network this big, viruses would spread faster and infect more computers.

3. Software installation procedure

When Windows users decide to install software, they search it up on the internet and download an installer. There are chances that the installer file can from an untrusted source (this actually happens a lot).

For Linux users, they search a software repository maintained by the makers of the OS. This repository contains software trusted by the makers. Since the makers trust these, we also consider these software to be harmless and virus free.

Of course, software outside the repository can be installed and they can be malicious. If you install software outside the default repository at least you would know that you could be running something malicious and think twice before installing it.

4. Software installation permission

A normal user in Windows has the privilege of installing any software on the computer. In Linux, this is not the case. To install software, a user must have administrative privileges. And someone who has administrative privileges will definitely know which software can be trusted and which one cannot.

5. Open source code

The code that makes Linux is open source. Anyone can see it, modify it or contribute to it. This makes Linux very secure. If a flaw is found by someone they can report it or even better, fix it themselves. You may think that if it is open, why wouldn’t someone put a virus in it? No one would like to be recognized as a person who spreads viruses. Also, if anyone actually tried it, others would notice and would not allow the virus to be pushed to the system.

So, with Linux I cannot be infected?

Of course, you can. You can install a virus on purpose. You can install a virus by mistake. Someone else can install one on your PC if you leave it unattended. If you put weak passwords for user accounts then someone could remotely install a virus. The chances are quite less though when compared to a Windows machine.

There are antiviruses for Linux!!

Yup, even after the above points discussed, there are antiviruses for Linux. But a regular user does not need to install one. If a Linux computer works as a web server (more particularly a mail server) then antivirus is a must-have for the system. This is because email attachments could contain viruses. Maybe it will not infect the machine itself but it could spread to other machines.

Now would you like to move to Linux? If you do, it wouldn’t be an unwise decision! Go open source!!!