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Chinese hackers have unleashed a never-before-seen Linux backdoor
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023
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No.
By installing software only from trusted sources (default repositories from your distribution are the safest software you will ever install on linux)
But you can still be infected by virus by other means like opening PDFs or accessing a malicious link, no?
Yes. Opening PDFs might be safer on Linux, but general internet security and practice goes a long way, too. Using a content-blocker like uBlock Origin on Firefox can greatly reduce attack surface on both Linux and Windows as well
You can try some free Linux antivirus software programs like ClamAV but realistically, as long as you mainly install software through your distro's package management software or graphical app store, you're probably fine.
Although not all open-source software is safe, it's a hundred times less likely to be malicious for the sole reason that it's out in the open for someone to verify, and they'd get busted immediately if they tried something untoward.
For the average person like me, having something like an antivirus is better than not on Linux. Especially since I tend to download various things outside of the default repository (i.e. Ankama Launcher which I've only ever seen as a appimage).
Though your advice is good, I couldn't go through with it without wanting to rip my hair out.
I think the fundamental protection is always going to be the firewall that blocks all incoming connections unless you explicitly open a port for a running server.
It's frustrating that the article doesn't have much information about the delivery method for this attack. Is it a remote connection, or you have to run it locally and it escalates privileges?
Sounds like it targets servers specifically, so desktop users should be safe
In general the users should not worry about kernel vulnerabilites because of the built in security in Linux and because the desktop is a much smaller target.
As other people write: Keep to trusted sources (like your distributions own repo) and you should be all right.
It's the Linux servers that should take note and apply patches.