this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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Quoted from the Arch wiki:
There is no inherent mechanism that makes your system secure to viruses just because it's Linux. This is mostly said because, Linux being a small percentage of desktop users, it's not yet common for hackers to target Linux systems because it's not worth the hassle when you can just target a much larger audience on Windows that is on average much less tech literate too.
But as Linux popularity grows, viruses will start popping up on Linux as well, so it's never a bad idea to use ClamAV. You are already more protected when you use package repositories instead of downloading executables from websites like you do on Windows, and Linux has better file system permissions, but you still need to be careful what you're downloading and running.
It also apllies some security practices by default, like not executable by default, mime type detection of files (no document.pdf.exe), which does make a linux desktop more safe.
And safety is always a compromise with practicability. For example, Linux-hardened.
But sure, there's always room for improvement.