Quote:
Originally Posted by entwisi
...Will Linux ever be susceptible to a hit like the "I LOVE YOU" virus? NO not ever...
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Why do you say that? The overwhelming majority of Linux users are "technically competent" - they have to be. The virus you quoted relied heavily on the user being a bit of a numpty - running an unverified mail attachment.
If Linux ever became mainstream, more numptys would be using it, so it would become "profitable" for virus writers to turn their attention to Linux.
Quote:
Originally Posted by entwisi
...Out the box Linux does not require anything except a modicum of education and common sense.
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The same could be said of Windows. I run two windows machines with an internet connection but no antivirus, but I'm "technically competent" enough to know how to steer clear of viruses, keep the PCs up-to-date and the NAT router stops any inbound attacks.
Cashy's comment about a false sense of security being worse than no protection at all is spot-on, and it applies here too. If all virus writers did so because they hate Microsoft, or because Microsoft was easiest to hack; then a user would be right to feel comfort in their choice of Linux or OSX (or whatever). But they don't - they hack Microsoft because it has the biggest installed user base - making a hack more likely to be propagated.