Ubuntu (Linux) Versus Computer Viruses

     Hi there today I am going to talk about computer viruses on Ubuntu machines or lack of. I will also be covering basic things you can do to prevent a viruses on your computer no matter the operating system. Viruses are a major problem today in the computer world with every operating system being affected today. The most affected operating system today is the Microsoft Windows family. There are many different reasons for this, the lack of quick updates from Microsoft. The fact that right now Windows is the most popular operating system. The biggest reason and this would go for any operating system would be lack of user education. Now Apple and Linux has had viruses made for there operating systems in the past. The biggest reason for the lack of so many viruses is that you can not run Microsoft programs by default. What I mean by this is that files that end in .exe, .bat, .cab or .scr can not be opened by Apple or Ubuntu. These files could be opened if you used another program to install them like a program called Wine. But even installing these files with Wine will only limit the virus to Wine and not your Apple or Ubuntu machine. These four ways are the most popular ways to spread viruses. Also with Ubuntu programs need to ask you to put a password in (by default) to be installed.
     Now if you are worried about your Ubuntu machine getting viruses you can download a free anti virus program called Clamtk. This program is free and is updated often. If you want to use it you can download it at http://clamtk.sourceforge.net/ or through the Ubuntu Software Centre. This program does not run in the background but only takes up 18% of your cpu when it runs. This program is not just for Ubuntu it should be able to run on any Linux distro. You should also download clamav-unofficial-sigs from the Synaptic Package Manager. This will help with "phishing, spear phishing, fake lottery, ecard malware, casino, fake jobs, fake loans, 419s, fake diplomas, porn, emailed malware and other general spam." There are other programs out there that will help you with viruses on your computer but this is the easiest one I could find.
     Another great advantage with Ubuntu is that it "can" help to cure a virus on a Windows machine. For this you will need to know the name of the virus so you can look it up online. When you look up the name of the virus they may tell you the directory that it should be in. If it does then all you have to do is start Ubuntu in a live cd mode on the computer that is infected. When the cd boots up you can go into the infected hard drive and look for that folder. When you delete the folder the virus should be gone and your computer should be virus free.
     Remember the biggest way to prevent viruses on your computer is user prevention. If you do not know about were a file you are downloading comes from or about were a e-mail comes from you should not open it. Also remember to make sure whatever anti virus program you are using to make sure it is up to date.