Comment on Chinese hackers have unleashed a never-before-seen Linux backdoor
mmababes@lemmy.world 1 year ago
In general the users should not worry about kernel vulnerabilites because of the built in security in Linux and because the desktop is a much smaller target.
As other people write: Keep to trusted sources (like your distributions own repo) and you should be all right.
It’s the Linux servers that should take note and apply patches.
I think the fundamental protection is always going to be the firewall that blocks all incoming connections unless you explicitly open a port for a running server.
It's frustrating that the article doesn't have much information about the delivery method for this attack. Is it a remote connection, or you have to run it locally and it escalates privileges?
researchers from security firm Trend Micro found an encrypted binary file on a server known to be used by a group they had been tracking since 2021
Sounds like it targets servers specifically, so desktop users should be safe
Qvest@lemmy.world 1 year ago
No.
By installing software only from trusted sources (default repositories from your distribution are the safest software you will ever install on linux)
learningduck@programming.dev 1 year ago
But you can still be infected by virus by other means like opening PDFs or accessing a malicious link, no?
Qvest@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Yes. Opening PDFs might be safer on Linux, but general internet security and practice goes a long way, too. Using a content-blocker like uBlock Origin on Firefox can greatly reduce attack surface on both Linux and Windows as well
AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 1 year ago
For the average person like me, having something like an antivirus is better than not on Linux. Especially since I tend to download various things outside of the default repository (i.e. Ankama Launcher which I’ve only ever seen as a appimage).
Though your advice is good, I couldn’t go through with it without wanting to rip my hair out.