I like Rick's reply. There are some large differences in firefox, thunderbird, linux, and related common applications a new user is used to using. They will by and large NOT run something from a remote site without asking. If they do they will NOT run it as root. There is no Active X which while trying to make something really easy to use allows remote applications to read your address book, open attachments, and run things. I was really shocked when the first batch of email viruses went around that just required opening an email without even click on an attachment.
Ubuntu is the linux desktop I'm most familiar with these days, and IMO it (and many other linux environments I'm sure) do make reasonably few queries to the user... none of the (so I've heard) 100's of queries a day that you get from vista. Most of them are fairly easy to understand and make it clear what the safest choice is. So IMO. Skip the antivirus, you are more likely to have a security problem from the virus checker then you are from a virus. Steve Weiss wrote: > I've been following the fascinating "Verify Ubuntu files" discussion and can > see > how complex an issue system security is. But my question is, what do you > recommend a newbie like me do for security? To start with, the simplist thing is, install nothing yourself. Use only the provided application installer and as much as possible the standard repositories. So the default apt-get install <whatever> should be secure. > I've been running Ubuntu on my > laptop since an Installfest last Fall, but haven't found the time to learn > much > about its innards yet. > > When I asked Chris and Alex this at the time, they both shrugged their > shoulders > and said basically don't click any links you don't trust, and that Linux > doesn't I often click on those links just to see. I drop all my cookies/sessions to make sure I don't get cross-site attacked. I.e. stealing my webmail account. Usually I end up with some windows executable, sometimes if I'm bored I'll run it through strings looking for hints at what it acutally does. > get much hacker attention. Neither recommended running any kind of security > suite for Linux. Irregardless of popularity, it's just plain harder to get something run as root on linux. Even getting things run as a user often requires explicit steps by the user. Dunno, I think partially it's because of windows history, and partially because windows comes practically featureless, minimal scripting, it's not opensource so why should folks give away opensource. Hell even things like zip weren't included for awhile. I was horrified to find how many things random users often install. Screen savers, things to make their desktop background a photo, things to animate your mouse cursor, cute noises for email notification, etc. Usually random binary blobs, sometimes with a DLL. On ubuntu (and others) you can get an amazing amount done with simple point/clicks inside the package manager. The ubuntu/debian repositories are huge, include source, and include an amazing array of applications that you don't have to worry about the security. Install 500 editors, languages, paint programs, diagram tools, spreedsheets, word processors, web browsers, desktop environments, terminals, email clients etc.... the chance of getting some malware, trojan, etc are very low. It's very unlikely to find something malicious. Windows on the other hand, there's no central place to go to, seems almost the rule instead of the exception that any tiny itty bitty trivial tool you need for windows it going either to show you ads, monitor your activities, or be outright malware. Hell some of the common places to get windows software sell ads... and occasionally those ads are for malware... installing any utility under windows is somewhat of a minefield. Not to mention getting notified of updates is hard... again no central repository. Under ubuntu it's not impossible to break things with apt-get install/synaptic/whatever package manager you use. But it's not easy to get compromised by that activity. > I find this approach a little scary after many years using various Windows > security suites and discussions like yours. And "trust" is a relative thing. > What would you all recommend for new users? Are there good > virus/firewall/spyware packages for Ubuntu that are reasonably automated? IMO, patching regularly, firefox, and thunderbird is all you need. They will protect you... that and a bit of common sense. Don't reconfigure your system because a random website told you to. Don't run untrusted binaries from random folks. If your mail client/web browser says something is suspicious... believe them. _______________________________________________ vox-tech mailing list vox-tech@lists.lugod.org http://lists.lugod.org/mailman/listinfo/vox-tech