> Most Unix systems (including Linux) are largely immune to the types of
> attack your typical PC virus attacks. On a Unix system, if a user were to
run
> an infected program, the virus would be unable to modify any of the
programs
> installed (see below for an exception), as regular users don't have
permission
> to modify program files. Any virus attempting to run memory resident
would
> show up in the process list, and be easily suspect.
> This is not to say that a Unix-based virus would be impossible. If you
> installed an "infected" program as root, and ran it as root, it could
infect
> other programs. Or, if you installed an infected program as root that
> included a suid-root executable, when run by regular users it would take
on
> root privileges.
> Also, while virus-like activity is curtailed by Unix system security,
> anything you do as a user can affect you. In particular, a virus could
still
> deploy its payload and (for example) wipe out all the files in your own
home
> directory. The system itself, and other users, will be unaffected, but
you
> lose. If you have a program files owned by your user account (and not
root),
> those could be infected.
Let us not forget one of the all time favorite virii out there.. The
worm didn't work in what one would consider a typical fasion. It *IS*
possible for one of these type of virii to cause quite a bit of damage, but
not in the way a typical MS Win32 based one would. But it should be noted
that an infected system also does not really *need* to be there as root to
cause damage. That's simply a sandbox look at things, where if you can't
get out, you can't hit the guy in the sandbox next to you. Unfortionatly,
that doesn't mean I can't find rocks, sticks, and lumps of doggie turd to
throw your way.. :-)
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