It is often said that a computer that uses the Linux operating system is safer than another with Windows. However, we should not assume that a Linux computer does not need an antivirus to operate more safely. The weeks go by and the different types of attacks are diversifying and increasing in complexity. Here are some free antivirus solutions that you can try as soon as possible.
It is time to stop believing that you should not install an antivirus if you have Linux. Below, we show you very interesting, lightweight options that do not affect the regular performance of your computer. There are other antivirus in other operating systems, which have a not very good reputation for the resources they consume when performing even simple tasks such as a scan. The case of Linux is different and the concern of whether it will consume many resources will no longer be so at all.
ClamAV
ClamAV is the most popular free antivirus for Linux operating systems. This antivirus is executed directly from the command line, so if we want to scan our entire computer, we will have to execute an order from the terminal. However, there is a graphical user interface called ClamTK that will allow us to use this software much easier, without having to execute any command. Anyway, installing it is very simple and it only takes a few commands:
- ClamAV installation on Debian / Ubuntu systems:
sudo apt install clamav
- ClamTK GUI installation (do it after the previous antivirus installation command):
sudo apt install clamtk
The image above is a sample of what the ClamTK user interface looks like. It’s simple, practical and you have the GUI and antivirus version information permanently at hand. If you need more information about how to manage this antivirus, you can go to the documentation of the ClamAV team itself. In addition, the portal of this antivirus has a complete list of tools and alternative versions of this solution for other operating systems such as Windows.
Sophos Antivirus
It is an antivirus solution that has a detection system based on heuristics. This means that the database is constantly updated , so that threat detection activities are increasingly effective. It has real-time and on-demand scanning and detection options, in addition to the classic scheduled scan option. This solution uses the same threat database used by Windows and MacOS. Thus, it adds one more level of protection.
This antivirus will prevent your Linux computer from becoming a distribution point for other operating systems. It does this by removing malware variants that come from Windows, MacOS, and Android. It is quite light and is updated regularly. These updates weigh only 50 KB, so when updating the antivirus, there will be little or no impact on activities.
Even, for the best performance, it is possible to configure some exclusions. These can consist of certain file names, directories, and wildcards. You can access the following link to download this solution.
Comodo Antivirus
In addition to being compatible with Windows and MacOS, it is compatible with Linux. It provides a very high level of protection, just like it does in other versions of the operating system. This antivirus solution has real-time behavior analysis functionality and a very powerful real-time scanning tool. Also, it offers an email protection system against phishing and spam.
One of the advantages of Comodo is that it focuses its protection against unknown and zero-day malware, so it is quite proactive and guarantees a high level of security for the user. In addition, it has email filtering features, thus eliminating / blocking spam and any type of suspicious message.
If you are interested in trying Comodo Antivirus, we recommend you access the portal and download it right now.
F-Prot
Just like ClamAV, this can be used through the command line and the user interface. It is a free solution aimed at both individual users and companies. If you are an individual user, you can use the F-Prot scan to be protected against all types of malware since this tool is capable of locating and removing viruses, ransomware and all types of malicious files.
Do you want to install it now with the command line? In this link you can access the complete guide, which will show you the installation methods, from the manual to using rpm and / or deb packages . On the other hand, you can also find this guide of frequent functions such as scanning emails and traditional scanning for threats. Linux is characterized by giving a lot of visibility regarding the practicality and ease to install, execute and use programs of all kinds, instead of the classic user interface. We know that Windows also has these features, but this operating system has a much stronger orientation towards graphical interfaces, much more intuitive. Mainly, by the public that generally adopts them.
How do these options look to you? If you know of others that we could add to this list, do not hesitate to leave us your recommendations in the comments.
