this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2026
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Backup your data so that you can restore what matters to you. There is no need for an antivirus on Linux if you stick to the distribution channels of your distribution because package are verified. Unlike in the close source world because the source of those packages are open, verifying, even though imperfect, is much simpler. Popular distributions, e.g. Debian or Redhat, have a very strong incentive not to let anything slip. Maintainer of packages also are able not just to track what changed but also by whom, that means if there is a problem it can be identified and attributed rather quickly and thus other maintainers can be warned. It is not impossible and supply chain attacks do happen, e.g. xz backdoor, but it is rare, specific and has been studied and thus partly alleviated even though it remains a challenge.
If you do download executables or binaries, not media e.g. videos or music, from random places though then all bets are off.
I've heard it is possible to put a virus even into an image, and I might actually be a victim of such an attack... But yeah, it is extremely rare
Targeting Linux distributions is even less likely because unlike Windows or MacOS there is no "official" viewer for a kind of document, being image, video, text, etc but rather only the one that the distribution picked but that even during the installation process the user might ignore or replace. So the attack on the media would have to work for any viewer which seems basically impossible.
Technically possible yes but practically impossible at scale, it would have to be targeting a specific user and then it's a totally different situation.