The classic open source antivirus tool, ClamAV is available from most Linux distros’ repositories. Linux antivirus isn’t a growth area – a number of anti-malware firms, including Eset and Avast, have or are ceasing the publication of stand-alone Linux anti-malware suites, although enterprise server and end-point protection solutions are still available from both of those firms, as well as the likes of Kaspersky and Bitdefender.ĬlamTk provides a comfortable desktop interface for ClamAV

What antivirus is available for home desktop Linux?

OS security updates promptly address new threats, to the point where the official position of Canonical, maker of Ubuntu Linux is that “Linux viruses are so rare that you don’t really need to worry about them at the moment.”īut that doesn’t mean your Linux PC can’t harbour malware for other operating systems, or that cross-platform threats in languages such as Java and Python aren’t a risk. Linux malware has been gradually increasing over the years, with a 35% growth in Linux malware in 2021 identified by endpoint protection vendor Crowdstrike, largely affecting Internet-of-Things devices.īut, assuming your day-to-day security practices are good and your OS is up-to-date, your Linux desktop doesn’t have a particularly great need of antivirus software. Wondering if Linux users can take operating system security for granted and not worry about using anti-virus? Let’s look at the risks and what you can use to protect yourself when you’re running this popular open source OS and alternative to Windows 11.

Linux anti malware