Hi all! Been messing with computers since the 90's more as a hobby than anything. Even tried some Basic in the 80's. Finally found a Linux version that I couldn't break on a Zorin 16.2 VM. After a month I took the plunge and gave 16.3 a drive of its own.
Searched everywhere for a recent topic on ClamAV and Zorin but no good. My topic title has my question. I found the GUI for it in the software manager but no mention of the actual AV.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I should mention I've been a Windows user the whole time so please be gentle...
Thank you. If it's not in the software manager I assume I would need to use the terminal? Are there instructions for that someone could point me too?
Thank you again. Looks like it was installed when I installed the GUI?
clamscan --version
ClamAV 0.103.9/27016/Wed Aug 30 02:37:04 2023
You should find GUI version ClamTK in the Software Store.
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I've read some many time how safe Linux is but I keep seeing stories like this. I have ClamAV (free) but that doesn't provide real time protection like say "cough" Windows Defender (also free). Don't get me wrong I'm not hating on Linux just pointing out that the good old days of Linux flying under the radar are fading fast and when Windows 10 reaches EOL it's likely to get worse as people switch. There needs to be a better free option cause I'm not using a 12 yr old Optiplex cause I'm loaded.
One of the reasons Linux was perceived as more secure than Windows was because of the use of package managers, introduced in the early 90's if I recall correctly, to install new software. One of the many advantages of a package manager in this regard is that every package is monitored, and can be checked for integrity and other issues.
Whereas in Windows, for the longest time, people simply went online and downloaded the first link that they saw. In that sense, it's unfair to claim that Windows was more vulnerable than Linux because all operating systems are vulnerable to software than runs with elevated privileges.
The main difference is that on Windows, as you rightfully pointed out, there are things like Windows Defender running in the background and yet these things continued to happen. I guess that all these so-called security suites were just too busy stealing the user's data for themselves to notice the real malware threat (funny how "malware" is such a relative term).
So much for *cough* real-time protection. 1 2 3
Password-stealing Linux malware served for 3 years and no one noticed
In Linux, as mentioned, it's standard practice to use the package manger available in order to download and install new software. This alone explains why it took so long to notice the issue. The same type of careless people who do this would also be careless about verifying the downloaded file for integrity and known malware signatures.
To their credit, the authors of this gimmick were smart enough to use a probabilistic mechanism to deliver this payload randomly, as opposed to consistently which would have made it easier to identify.
It's not too late to check if a Linux device you use was targeted.
No device was targeted. The user needed to go to this particular website, download this package and explicitly run it and accept the prompt to run with elevated privileges. It does not imply a security vulnerability on Linux or any other operating system.
I completely agree. Even in these forums we're already seeing more activity from people who are moving away from Windows. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same willingness to put in some effort to learn and adapt to new environments with different tools and procedures.
Poor security hygiene habits cause the amount of infected devices malware to grow. It's actually very similar to how real world diseases spread: careless people with poor hygiene and sanitary habits blending in the crowd, unaware of the damaged they are causing.
As more people start using Linux, which I generally see as a good thing, we're also bound to see rising numbers complains about how Linux is not Windows and how we need better alternatives. For free. 
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This is 100% perfectly worded.
Your expression is top notch.
It began with Radio.
Prior to that, a product was a product. You paid for it, or you didn't get it.
Radio Broadcasting was a new technology that was so revolutionary, it could not be ignored. It was too powerful to not use. But there was a problem: Like air, radio waves could not be metered out to monitor how much radio any individual was getting in order to bill them for it.
Some brilliant dinkus had the genius idea to use radio as an Advertising tool instead of a Broadcasting tool. "Regular broadcasting" was actually the side job. The primary as an advertiser. And the ad revenue would cover the costs neglected by customer billing.
It worked.
It really worked.
Radio operators were not just covering costs with profit. They were enriching themselves.
Now, in modern society, we are conditioned to "Free stuff" with hidden costs.
Advertising revenue wants more data in order to Target Market Advertise.
Simultaneously, we are being nickel-and-dimed to death by downloadable content, pay-to-win, extended warranties and so on and so on.
We also begin to realize that we can inappropriately manage our spending, by paying more for what we want that we have to, while demanding free stuff where we think we can get away with it.
Fast Food is expensive. How many people could apply what they do not spend on that by cutting back toward a monthly bill for something they need?
The Reality
Free ain't free.
Even on Zorin OS: Though Core and Lite and Education are free editions, those costs are paid by Pro Users that contribute to a project that they believe in.
It's why I am on this forum at all - I began helping troubleshooting by trying to pay-back for the users that provided me with a Free Operating System when I needed one. I cannot stand a debt.
In return, I got some kick-back, though. It helped me to continue learning about GnuLinux.
If you want something for free, you better be ready to pay for it.
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What really worries me about this is that we have come to accept it as normal and acceptable. The Windows license for example is just a lease, you don't actually own anything about the product. Yet, they are more than happy to still mine your data for their own profit.
I'm spending much more money through donations to ZorinOS and other open source projects than I ever paid for Windows licenses, but I'm much happier too.
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For an OS that is built on free software and with an app store that only has free software I don't get the pushback for wanting free software.
Free = Freedom
Free = Cost
There is a difference.
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Meaning freedom to choose?
To choose, to fork, to modify...
Software that is Free(dom) is not proprietary.
Free (cost) is not always bad. Zorin OS is free on both fronts and no one is advertised to on the Zorin Home page, on this Forum or on the Operating System.
But Free Cost has certain risks in our society at large... and these risks are something we must recognize and make Wise Choices about.
I read in the Mint forums that there's an opportunity for malware to jump to the host while files are being scanned since they are technically opened, and some level of containerization is essential to help mitigate this. For this reason alone I've been considering using Docker or Flatpak for ClamAV scans.
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