On Wed, 25 Jul 2001 18:03, Paul wrote:
> > Hi folks,
> > Everybody except Linux Users has heard about SirCam a new EXTREMELY
> > annoying virus. Seems a very popular one out there at moment - can
> > send random giant file attachments !
> >
> > Which brings me to the point:
> > I don't border on - I AM paranoid in the Doze world -
> > I executed the MEDIUM option of security on my M8 setup.
> > Is there anything else advised at this stage?
>
> I have heard of it too, even though I don't do winders. It is a bad one,
> indeed.
> You would not have to worry if you are not running a mailserver for other
> people. Otherwise you should install an antivirus program. They do exist,
> because many winders mail clients pull mail from *nix boxes. If the server
> can eliminate a viral mail, it will reduce the amount of spreading through
> the winders pc's.
> You can consider Amavis, McAfee, AvP/Linux
> Paul
Most GNU/Linux antivirus apps are designed to find Windos virii, not
GNU/Linux ones. This can be useful if you're running a GNU/Linux server and
Windos clients.
I know that there is a version of AntiViral Toolkit Pro that claims to be
able to find GNU/Linux virii. I would argue that it is mostly unnecessary,
and that the bulk of its advertising is based on FUD. The vast majority (and
perhaps all) of GNU/Linux virii are designed to exploit well-known security
holes for which there has long been a fix. If you keep your system up to date
with the latest security packages (Mandrake does a good job of releasing
these), you should have little to fear.
In the Windos world, many of the most successful and most devastating virii
have exploited old (often years old) security holes. Windos sysadmins, many
of them incompetant (you would have to be if you use Windos), refuse to
install security patches because it will require rebooting the system. In the
*nix world, a reboot is only required if one wants to change the running
kernel.
--
Sridhar Dhanapalan.
"There are two major products that come from Berkeley:
LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
-- Jeremy S. Anderson
