Somebody mention Proton mail? For extra security, don't use the app for the smartphone - use Tor Browser for Android and Tor Browser in Linux. Tor Browser for Linux is easy to setup - just download the tarball (zipped file) extract it and then give the app permissions and you will see it turn into a purple onion! Once launched you can then add to your favourites bar without having to keep going back to the extracted folder in downloads.
I actually don't use proton mail that much so just have the free one and use it primarily for the Linux User Group I am a member of and financial bodies.
My main email uses e.email which I got when I purchased a Google free Android Phone from the e.foundation:
The only smarphone you will ever need, as it has a replaceable battery and components - how many smartphones do you know come with a mini Philips screwdriver? If a component becomes damaged or faulty, just replace with a new one (e.g., camera). Also the entire phone case is made out of recycled plastics, including the protective cover you can purchase for it - the only 'green' phone on the planet!
My answer would be, just like what I read when I first come here in Linux, there's a virus for Linux, yes, but it is different from Windows. And most anti-virus scans windows virus.
Virus is also a program created by programmers/developers who are already tired of their life. Basically, these viruses will only be installed if you allow it to be installed. The case with most linux distro is, everything we install is with our permission. Whether it was a snap, flatpak, appimage, packages, updates etc.
When it comes to something like trojans that usually downloaded together with applications/dramas/movies that you downloaded from untrustworthy source, still, it will not run without your permission.
Adwares, Spywares, Malwares etc are also softwares.
Whether it was in Windows or in Linux, the best way to avoid these more than anti-viruses is to see if the one you are clicking to run is a trustworthy application or not. If the link that you are visiting is secure or not.
Personally, I don't use or thinking of using anti-virus because this is what I think: Linux have a lots of distro. If I'm the one who will create a virus for this one, I think before I got to successfully create one for desktop users, my mind already blown up in studying these 100+ distro compare if I create for Windows. Not to mention that most linux desktop user modifies a lot in both back and front end. So I also wonder how much percentage for a virus creator to successfully modifies your OS that you already modified from its original state. Servers can, and I heard more often be targeted, because you cannot just easily change everything in server OS. It's a server.
Yea but they are talking about bringing them back because of this new strain which appeared out of nowhere .... LOL ...
A lot of the banks and personal businesses and such won't let you enter without one regardless of what the government says .... the Mrs got turned down just yesterday trying to use our local bank .... lol ....
We are lucky as we are the only country in the world .... that I know of .... where it was mandatory to wear face shields .... and I shall not go into why I think we were required to wear them ....
Just a quick reminder of the Present Topic - Computer Viruses on Linux.
There are multitudes of reliable and reputable scientific sources available on the web that any user can reference for information on handling Covid-19 and staying safe.
Your answer only looks at 'no need for your system' - but attacks could be used via your email to other contacts - read my post which was based on what was informed to me by the Linux User Group co-ordinator who has had more years experience of GNU/Linux than I've had hot dinners. You should also install rkhunter and chkrootkit to check for rootkits - rootkits are cross-platform.
Its the same, right? If the attacks are in emails or any other form from internet, its the users control. I learn it since then that the more you are so dependable to anti virus, the more the virus comes to you. Reason is because you already feel secure in the anti-virus that you already not aware of your downloads, opening of links etc which is the basics among all. Anti-virus can be up to the user. There are actually users who don't use anti-virus and didn't encouter virus not because of what OS they are using. It was because they are much more aware of what they should avoid.
Well I can't speak for GNU/Linux mail servers but there was an interesting article on The Register about a flaw in M$ Servers which made email accounts vulnerable. Having years of experience on fake email I spotted this one right away. An email had been sent to the whole school about an unpaid invoice from my work colleague. I reported it straightaway to the IT Helpdesk. A server is only as secure as those who:
A. Write the server software and
B. SysAdmins keeping security patches updated. (This is the one area where GNU/Linux servers were breached due to lazy admins.)
Let's be clear, no system is fool proof as it was designed by humans. The most secure systems are those written by A.I. which would prevent human users from accessing same (which it does anyway for its own survival).
Web pages are probably the most vulnerable area to any OS. As I've stated on the old forum, German police broke their own IT Laws by a 15 year old hacker showing how easy it was to take over a browser in less than 30 seconds using Russian software.
There are certain things that no security software can prevent, e.g., Android devices. This pertains to an issue regarding unsolicited MMS (Multimedia Messaging Software). This was first discovered by F-Secure. If you rejected the MMS it would brick the phone. The only way to avoid the attack is to walk beyond 300 metres from the device from which the unsolicited message was being sent in order to lose the signal and unsolicited MMS.
As for computers, just be wary if you see anyone hanging around with two notebooks running, they're probably 'snarfing' to take over a nearby computer using GNU/Linux to achieve same.
