linux vs viruses

[Voodoo]

Hey I was just reading http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-l ... ges-112012 and this guy down the bottom of the comments section says: Submitted

by John B. (not verified) on Fri, 11/23/2012 - 2:41am.
Rootkits really suck...reason I left Microsoft now on Unbuntu (only 64 bit). Pretty soon you will have to install virus software on your Linux platform, just like you do with Microsoft junk, just to keep your system safe!!!

which sounds like total crazy talk to me.

However, how does a linux user protect themselves from rootkits/linux virii?

I am new to linux and was wondering what I need to learn to harden my linux more

[doktor5000]

which sounds like total crazy talk to me.

However, how does a linux user protect themselves from rootkits/linux virii?

No, this is no crazy talk. Maybe you want to take a look at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_malware
http://www.ubuntu-user.com/Online/News/ ... e-Look.org
http://packetstormsecurity.org/UNIX/pen ... /rootkits/

Or, fresh from the current news: http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/ ... 53969.html

A system or security chain is only as strong as its weakest link, which is always the user.
If you install software from untrustworthy sources without checking it, run foreign/proprietary programs, trust
every piece of javascript or flash application in your browser, your are potentially at risk.

What you can do against that, is either to check your current installation for existing problems,
like with rkhunter or chkrootkit or similar, run virus scanners like clamav (although that one only has an average detection
rate of ~50%, which is still not bad for an open source project, compared to commercial products).

Or you can preventively setup things like intrusion detection systems like AIDE or bastille,
or use security frameworks like SElinux, AppArmor or Tomoyo.