Yuan Meng: Linux Virus

Yuan Meng: Linux virus-general Linux technology-Linux technology and application information. For details, refer to the following section. Linux computers have become popular in recent years. According to some people, the so-called "Linux virus" will naturally make waves and harm people. Therefore, it is necessary to popularize the knowledge about the "Linux virus" to avoid the spread of misunderstandings.

The so-called "computer virus" refers to the malicious program code that can be copied by itself, which exists in the form of binary files and infect executable files. The premise for computer viruses to spread is that, in the biological world, the survival rate of viruses (replication rate) must be higher than the mortality rate (Termination of existence ), and reach a required threshold. Over the years, it has been proved that there have been no reports (symptoms) of virus flooding in Linux, except for some (more than 70) laboratory virus works out of "technical curiosity. Why? The root cause is that the "ecosystem" produced by Linux is unfriendly to viruses and is not suitable for virus survival and reproduction. Why?

The source code of Linux system files and applications is almost open, and there are very few binary (only) applications. This situation is extremely unfavorable for the "hiding" of viruses (binary files, in addition, the re-compilation and installation of these Linux Files will interrupt the main channel for virus propagation.

Linux itself is a Unix-like operating system, and the use of multiple users hinders virus transmission. Generally, Linux users do not work in the root directory, and it is difficult for viruses to gain control of the entire system. The Design of Linux network is quite conservative. The absence of a high-level "macro facilities" makes it difficult for malicious virus code to proceed here. Global virus writers all understand these principles. They are not willing to waste their effort and are boring.

Some Misunderstandings must be refuted. For example, Linux is not afraid of viruses because there are very few Linux users, and the virus authors ignore them. The implication is that, once there will be more Linux users in the future, both Linux and Windows will "interact with each other" and the virus will patronize them. This is not true. Windows itself originated from a single-user operating system. Once a user enters the system, the system becomes powerful and creates an opportunity for virus propagation. The Windows operating system is a private software and the source code is not published. Once the virus is infected, it is often unable to get rid of it. Therefore, you have to turn to anti-virus software for help. In recent years, the root cause of virus flooding is that the binary software industry, especially the Windows industry, has dominated the market. Viruses cause countless losses to the global private software industry. As a result, the global anti-virus manufacturers "fat" can be said to be a "one-stop ". We advocate free software, not because of our personal preferences, but because of the healthy development of the global software industry and the declaration of war on the virus.

When someone mentions a USB flash drive, especially a self-starting USB flash drive, they sneer at it. They mean, you don't have to worry about it. I said, no. Self-starting USB flash drives do not cause virus propagation, and users are provided with convenient use. Why? Some people say that the "cross-platform" virus will be developed in the future. Are you afraid of it? I said, for Linux, the so-called cross-platform virus is also a virus. What is terrible?

NOTE 1: In recent years, the so-called "Linux virus" has been on the rise. However, it has not been widely spread and has been exploited to harm people. It seems that the Linux ecosystem is indeed healthy and very "Robust" (Robust );

NOTE 2: This article is based on more than 10 documents on virus research. Thank you for writing this article.