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I always chuckle when someone moves to an OS with none or less malware but
they still don't back up their important info off the computer and then the hard drive dies.
Linux can get viruses, but it is highly unlikely. Almost all modern distros let you download and install software from their repositories with a single click (or command ) Most of this software is open source and has been compiled from source, so it shouldn't have any viruses. The few proprietary software in the repositories comes straight from the source (i.e., NVidia drivers come straight from NVidia. Adobe Acrobat reader comes straight from Adobe, etc...) so it is also unlikely to harbor viruses. As long as you stick to software from repositories, you should be ok.
Also, the way Linux works, you can't get a virus from downloading a file, or just clicking on it. You'd have to download the file, make it executable, and the run it. Even then, if you run it as a regular user, the damage will be limited to your home directory, not to the whole system.
To top it off, most viruses target Windows machines, since they provide a more fertile environment. Windows viruses won't affect a Linux machine.
Linux can get viruses, but it is highly unlikely. Almost all modern distros let you download and install software from their repositories with a single click (or command ) Most of this software is open source and has been compiled from source, so it shouldn't have any viruses. The few proprietary software in the repositories comes straight from the source (i.e., NVidia drivers come straight from NVidia. Adobe Acrobat reader comes straight from Adobe, etc...) so it is also unlikely to harbor viruses. As long as you stick to software from repositories, you should be ok.
Also, the way Linux works, you can't get a virus from downloading a file, or just clicking on it. You'd have to download the file, make it executable, and the run it. Even then, if you run it as a regular user, the damage will be limited to your home directory, not to the whole system.
To top it off, most viruses target Windows machines, since they provide a more fertile environment. Windows viruses won't affect a Linux machine.
~ The system is in a lead lined room inside a vault which is locked whenever you're not using the system
~ The system has no ability to mount foreign media of any type
This is true.
Actually, when hackers launch attack on websites, the likelihood that they are hacking into a server running Linux is a lot higher than one running windows simply because of numbers. Likewise, you see the opposite with desktop security because most people use Windows over everything else, so there's a lot more effort to take down windows systems than there is Linux or Apple systems. Having said that, the nature of Unix operating system does give it an extra layer of security compared to windows, but that doesn't mean a virus can't exist on it.
Out of the "box", Linux is safer than Windows. And, a knowledgeable Linux system admin will be able to have a more secure Linux system than a knowledgable Windows system admin would could have a secure Windows system.
Too add to Trucker7, the Linux kernel (based on Unix) treats the user(s) with suspicion and puts as much distance between the user and the kernel as possible. Windows gives, even guest users, higher privileges with the kernel as Windows is more tightly connected to the kernel.
In essence, Windows treats networking as an app, and allows 3rd party developers access to the kernel. Linux treats the desktop as an app, not the network.
But that is just for malware/spyware/trojans/worms, and as long as you don't download anything you shouldn't be, or visit questionable websites, Linux, like Windows, is really only as safe as the user takes precaution.
As for being hacked, yes, Linux can be subject to someone hacking into your computer, but the question remains: why would someone specifically target you and your computer? Out of the 100s of millions of computers out there (billions?), it would be a very random occurrence for someone to select your computer as the one they choose to hack into. Of course it can still happen, and I am not suggesting anyone become lax with security precautions, but still, the probability of it happening to you is so slim that it might as well be nonexistent.
Then again, the probability of winning the Lottery jackpot is slim-to-non, too. Yet, people win it all the time.
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) Most of this software is open source and has been compiled from source, so it shouldn't have any viruses. The few proprietary software in the repositories comes straight from the source (i.e., NVidia drivers come straight from NVidia. Adobe Acrobat reader comes straight from Adobe, etc...) so it is also unlikely to harbor viruses. As long as you stick to software from repositories, you should be ok.
