Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (3470 mails)

[Marco Oliveira <marco_oliveira@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

"... If a Linux-user runs always as root, the security advantage of the Unix
model disappears - and it's no safer than Windows.

You don't do that, do you?..."

No i don't.
I use my own user to work.
Don't work with root.


Marco


On Tuesday 02 September 2003 22:54, you wrote:
> On Tuesday 02 September 2003 15:33, Marco Oliveira wrote:
> > Hi there, i have some questions about virus and linux, can you help me ?
> >
> > 1 - I would like to know if linux is affected by windows virus and worms
> > ? 2 - I would like to know it is possible to write and make a virus that
> > somehow works in linux ?
> > 3 - should i fell threatened by virus that possible exists in the
> > internet ? 4 - how many virus exists and works in for the linux ?
> > 5 - What kind of protection could i use (Anti-Virus software) ?
> > 6 - Is linux somehow better developed in a way that is very difficult to
> > write virus and worms?
>
> IIRC, Linux - and Unices in general are less suceptible to viruses than
> is MS Windows because of the security model.
>
> On a typical Windows box, each user is effectively running as root.
> An rougue executable running with the priviledges of this user can easily
> complomise the entire system.
>
> In the Unix-type model, rougue executables can only access/infect the parts
> of the system to which the user which executed them has access.
>
> If a Linux-user runs always as root, the security advantage of the Unix
> model disappears - and it's no safer than Windows.
>
> You don't do that, do you?
>
> There are other factors involved, but this is, perhaps the most important.