[SOLVED] Best anti-virus scanner for Ubuntu?

[benali72]

Hi,

I'm running Ubuntu 10.04 on a single-processor P-4 with 2.6 ghz and 1 g memory.

Which free anti-virus scanner should I install?

I tried AVG Free 8.5 but its installer did not add anything to my Ubuntu APPLICATIONS menu. If there was a GUI I sure couldn't find it. Also it initiated an automated scan at some random time and completed locked up my system (CPU and ram both at 100 percent usage).

Any recommendation on which AV product to install? (or correction on what I might have done wrong with AVG Free?)

Thank you for your advice.

[zenwalker]

AV by itself -- clamAV

as part of a gateway --- untangle

[elija]

AV by itself -- clamAV

as part of a gateway --- untangle

And if you want a GUI, add clamtk

[Manko10]

I'm not using any AV at all.
Anti Virus programs simulate a security they cannot provide. Keeping your software up-to-date and knowing the risks is the best defense against virus threats. The worst thing that might happen is that users say that they don't have to be careful anymore because they have an AV program. you should also know about some very popular security risks such as Flash or Java.
AV is snake oil. Those programs can only find viruses they know or their heuristics can detect. If you have configured your system carefully and don't execute everything you can find on the Internet on your computer there should be no need for AV. Particularly AV guards which run in the background to protect your system continuously, consume a lot of system resources for relatively little security.
The other thing is that most Linux AVs are really bad, including ClamAV. Most Windows AVs are much better but still not really effective in many cases.

[HMW]

Pardon a possibly stupid question, but why do you need an antivirus application in the first place? I am by no means saying GNU/Linux is immune to those threats, but pretty much!

[elija]

Pardon a possibly stupid question, but why do you need an antivirus application in the first place? I am by no means saying GNU/Linux is immune to those threats, but pretty much!

Well, it could be considered good manners to scan files we share with our Windows using cousins

[HMW]

Well, it could be considered good manners to scan files we share with our Windows using cousins

That is true, I tend to forget that a lot of people use said OS.

[Manko10]

Although that's sometimes not a bad idea, scanning those files does not mean that they are free of viruses. Therefore passing the files to others is not much more secure than it was if you hadn't scanned them.

[benali72]

Thanks for the good ideas. I'll check out clamAV/clamTk and also AVAST! (didn't know they had a Linux version).

Do I need a really virus scanner? Possibly not. But I want to educate myself about this area. Never hurts to learn. Thanks for the advice.

[benali72]

Based on everyone's advice, I decided to download Free AVAST! for Linux.

It downloads in either DEB, RPM, or TAR.GZ formats.

After you install it you get a nice GUI that allows for on-demand Updates and Scans.

Scans can be either -- home directory only, entire system, or selected folders.

You can do Quick, Standard, or Thorough scans.

You can pause and restart the scan at will.

With several days of use behind me I would definitely recommend AVAST! free for anyone who wants a nice scanner for easy, on-demand use. Very nice product.