Shaibaz
Votes: 0Posted On: Mar 07, 2018 05:08:44
Users often operate under the illusion that using Linux meant they didn't have to worry about Malware and Viruses.
Using an Antivirus is essential despite having good browsing activities. Although Linux is the most secure operating system, but due to its increasing popularity because of it being freely distributable, cross-platform OS, more and more virus-related problems are surfacing day by day.
In case you are running a Linux based mail server or a file server, infected files can get uploaded to your OS making it a potential carrier of infected files. Hence, an antivirus helps in scanning and cleaning such files.
Here are some of the top Antiviruses for Linux.
Sophos
https://www.sophos.com/en-us.aspx
Sophos Antivirus is a great freeware product for Linux. It has a strong heuristics based detection feature for viruses, Trojans, and malware.
Sophos can also prevent and removes Android, Windows, and Mac malware. This helps your Linux machine stay safe from becoming a threat to other machines. There’s both on-demand and real-time scanning.
Sophos is a high performance delivering tool. It easily accomplishes this because of its simplicity and relatively smaller updates.
Some great features of Sophos are -
-Lightweight
-Free
-High-performing
-Wide platform compatibility
-Blocks and removes non-Linux malware
Comodo
https://www.comodo.com/
Comodo Antivirus is available in both 32 as well as 64 bit in case you are looking for both older and newer systems. It is compatible with a range of Linux distributions including Debian, CentOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu and SUSE Linux. It also comes with the feature of on-demand scanning/real-time scanning and email filtering.
It’s no surprise considering Comodo makes excellent cross-platform tools, including an amazing Windows firewall.
The salient features of Comodo are -
-Free
-On-demand scanner
-Real-time protection
-Regular updates
ClamAV
This open-source antivirus which is probably the most popular Antivirus software used on all Linux machines because of its speed and the fact that it’s a superior Linux mail server virus detector operating in conjunction with a Milter sendmail interface.
It is commonly known as “High Performance” antivirus scanner because if its capability of using CPU to the optimum level. It is a Multi-threaded scanner and uses a command line and on-demand scanning.
Use the following link to download the latest version of ClamAV
http://www.clamav.net/download/
BitDefender
Most Linux antivirus software is designed so you can simply run a manual scan from time to time, but BitDefender provides the functions that you’d normally find on a Windows AV program like intrusion detection, real-time shielding, and active virus control. One of the reasons BitDefender stands out is that it tracks down viruses that some of the other big-name programs don’t, including rootkits which can cause the most problems and often escape detection.
It also includes HTTP scanning (protecting you if you conduct transactions online), a firewall and parental controls, and it looks for Windows viruses as well as Linux ones. Also similar to standard antivirus software, it has a nice graphical interface and allows you to scan all the way down to individual files if you choose.
There are two negatives, though. First is that this program isn’t open-source or free (you only get a one-month trial before you have to pay). Second, you have to buy a license for at least five machines; you can’t get it for just one computer.
However, a free version of this software is available but with limited functionalities such as Anti-malware & antiphishing and Real-time Protection.
Use the following link to download the free version of BitDefender Antivirus
https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 for Linux
https://www.eset.com/int/home/antivirus/
This program splits the middle between BitDefender and ClamAV. It has most of the important features of BitDefender, and while it’s not free open-source software, you can buy it for a single machine and it’s pretty cheap (as low as $10). There’s real-time protection as well as an antispyware module, it’s fast, and it detects Mac OS viruses as well as Linux and Windows ones. ESET comes complete with an easy-to-use GUI. It’s a very good choice for most of the vulnerabilities Linux users should be concerned with, at a very reasonable price.