Today’s article is all about the best Antivirus for Linux. But if Linux is so secure, why do we need

目录

#10. Avast Antivirus – A high-end antivirus for Linux

#9. Chkrootkit – Tool to defend your system from root

#8. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 – The best anti-malware and anti-spyware

#7. F-PROT – The well-renowned choice

#6. Panda Cloud Cleaner – The Cloud-Based Antivirus for Linux

#5. Rootkit Hunter : The best rootkit tool

#4. ClamAV – The Original Linux Antivirus

#3. Firetools – Go-to option for Sandboxing with GUI

#2. Comodo: The feature-laden choice

#1. Sophos: The best free antivirus you can find

Finally…

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Today’s article is all about the best Antivirus for Linux. But if Linux is so secure, why do we need to have an Antivirus, right?

You’re right! However, Linux powers more than 70% of the web servers in the world. And hackers are highly motivated to create powerful viruses to penetrate those server security systems. Though it’s not as easy as it is with Windows, given the default security setup of Linux, it’s also not impossible.

An accidental execution of a script can infect your system. And that’s exactly where an automated anti-virus system can help. It keeps a consistent watch on your system activities and blocks any malicious activity before it can cause a problem!

Let’s look at some of the best Antivirus systems for your Linux!

#10. Avast Antivirus – A high-end antivirus for Linux

Avast

This is one of the very well known antivirus software across the globe! It’s currently available for businesses and is a paid software which is why we’ve kept it at the bottom of the list.

Avast has one of the best virus signature database in the entire list and if you’re a business planning to buy an antivirus to secure your servers, this would be a good investment.

You can simply download the package from their official website and run it to get Avast installed on your system.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

https://www.avast.com/business/products/antivirus-for-linux

#9. Chkrootkit – Tool to defend your system from root

Chkrootkit

Developed by Pangea Informatica, the Chkrootkit tool is a lightweight and portable anti-virus program that works on the root user. It allows for rootkit detection on a Linux system while being easy to use and fast. It can be easily run from the command line when needed. Chkrootkit also provides the functionality to manage and solve multiple errors at a time.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

sudo apt install chkrootkit

#8. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 – The best anti-malware and anti-spyware

Eset Antivirus

There have been tests which often see ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 as the best antivirus choice for Linux or Ubuntu users in general. However, that is the paid version of the software. It offers features such as deep malware and spyware detection and network security. ESET NOD 32 Antivirus 4 provides the user with both home and industry level protection with automatic updates. You can avail the free limited period trial version to evaluate for yourself if the performance is worth the money.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

Go to eset.com and download the correct package. Then move the package to the directory you wish to install ESET NOD32 Antivirus in. Now manually set the permission to ‘allow executing as program’ then follow the installation wizard.

NOTE: If you are looking for anti-spyware specifically, you can find the best one from these reviews.

#7. F-PROT – The well-renowned choice

Fprot Antivirus

F-PROT on Linux offers service which works for both industry level and home requirements. With support for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures, it defends the user against over 21 million threats along with their variants. Developed by FRISK Software International, it is free and portable. It allows for scanning of internal drives and drivers. F-Prot can also scan for trojans, macro and boot sector viruses.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

Go to f-prot.com and download the correct package. Then move the package to the directory you wish to install F-PROT in. Now follow the following commands.

sudo tar -xvf fp-Linux-i686-ws.tar.gz sudo ./install-f-prot.pl

#6. Panda Cloud Cleaner – The Cloud-Based Antivirus for Linux

Panda Cloud

Linux users detest having unnecessary software on their systems hogging up resources. And an antivirus running 24×7 in the background is one such program.

For this, you can use the Panda Cloud Cleaner that can be downloaded on a per-use basis and then removed from the system. When you download the package, simply need to give execute permissions to the file using the chmod command and run the file.

chmod +x PandaCloudCleaner.run ./PandaCloudCleaner.run

#5. Rootkit Hunter : The best rootkit tool

Rootkit Hunter

Developed initially by Michael Boelen, Rootkit Hunter is an antivirus tool which from the command line and makes use of backdoors and local exploits for detection and elimination of viruses and trojan software.

It offers rootkit detection while being fast and simple to use. It offers support for SHA-1 to compare and detect malicious software. Further, Rootkit Hunter offers great portability.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/rkhunter/rkhunter/1.4.6/rkhunter-1.4.6.tar.gz tar xzvf rkhunter* cd rkhunter* ./installer.sh --layout /usr --install

#4. ClamAV – The Original Linux Antivirus

ClamAV Antivirus

Developed by Cisco Systems, ClamAV is a free and opensource antivirus program available in almost every Linux distro’s repositories. While beginners prefer ClamTK, ClamAV provides better control for the advanced user with the help of its command-line interface.

It allows for scanning individual files, directories and drives. And ClamAV offers one of the best malware detection offered by an antivirus software.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

sudo apt install clamav

#3. Firetools – Go-to option for Sandboxing with GUI

While most antivirus software can detect and deal with viruses and malware easily, what do you do about malicious web scripts? The answer is Firetools. Developed by brains behind the Firejail security sandbox, Firetools is a sandbox GUI tool for Linux users.

It allows the user to run scripts and software in an isolated environment to verify whether it is safe without harming any other data. Firetools is opensource and makes your machine more secure than ever when used in a team with another antivirus scanner.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

sudo apt install firetools

#2. Comodo: The feature-laden choice

Comodo Antivirus

Developed by Comodo Cybersecurity, the Comodo antivirus is free, easy to use and set up and offers real-time protection. It has on-demand scanning and anti-spam support. Comodo provides the user with cross-platform support and works for both 32-bit and 64-bit architecture. Further, Comodo provides server-side protection for the user.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

Go to comodo.com and download the Ubuntu package. Then move the package to the directory you wish to install Comodo in. Now enter the following commands.

sudo dpkg -i libssl0.9.8_0.9.8o-7ubuntu3.2_amd64.deb

#1. Sophos: The best free antivirus you can find

Sophos

Developed by the Sophos group, Sophos antivirus is widely seen as the best free antivirus program available for a Linux user. It provides both on-demand scan and real-time scan options for the users. While it is a Linux based antivirus, it can efficiently detect and remove viruses for other OS as well. It is the best lightweight solution for your antivirus needs.

Steps for installing on Ubuntu:

Go to sophos.com and download the package after entering your details. Then move the package to the directory you wish to install Sophos in. Now follow the following commands.

tar xzf sav-linux-free-9.tgz cd sophos-av sudo ./install.sh

Finally…

Linux doesn’t really need an antivirus installed and running all the time if you maintain proper security hygiene. Not using the root user, providing sudo access to a limited set of users, and granting limited permissions to most users on the system are some of the basic practices.

So, do you use an antivirus or do you trust Linux’s default security? Let us know what you think in the comments below!