How do I know if my Ubuntu system has a virus?

Question

I am quite new to the Ubuntu system, currently using Ubuntu 18.04. I've been a Windows user since a kid (but I'm not a technogeek). I was wondering if Ubuntu can be affected by viruses and how can I know if my system is affected.

I've seen some articles on the net about antivirus software for Linux/Ubuntu systems, are they for real?

You don't need it. It's more likely for you to be struck by lightning than have your Linux box infected with a malware. This is in part because of the very restrict and mostly open-source software eco-system that prevents you from installing unknown garbage from the internet as root. — darksky, Oct 23 '19 at 03:47
Possible duplicate of Do I need to have antivirus software installed? — karel, Oct 26 '19 at 04:35

score 0 · Answer 1 · edited Oct 24 '19 at 19:57

I have been using Linux (Mint right now) for about 3 years. As a typical former Windows user, I worried about viruses at first. While they are not unheard of in Linux, they seem to be rare. So far, I have had no need for antivitus on Linux; I always use a firewall and a router, and that seems to be sufficient.

There is the risk of viruses that target Windows finding their way onto your system, but they can't do anything on your Linux system. They can, however, be passed on to a Windows machine, if you share files with a Windows user. But this can be avoided by scanning the files you transfer with the antivirus on the Windows machine before opening them. I believe the built-in security program in Windows 10 (forget what its called) can easily be set to scan any USB device before opening the files on it.

How do I know if my Ubuntu system has a virus?

1 Answers1

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