If i use Linux, do i need to install programs like nortron to have a virus free
computer?

At the moment, you don't need it. There are really no viruses that can threaten you. If Linux gains in popularity, I am sure that will change. I use Linux every day and get e-mails infected with windows viruses all the time. I've never had anything that could infect my computer.

If you want to protect others from emails you receive and then forward to them, you might want to consider an email virus scanner. I hop between distros and operating systems too much to bother with that myself. Its webmail all the way, but many like to set up an email client for one reason or another.

Otherwise, no.

I've always been interested in viruses and so on, so I keep tabs on this kind of thing.

Almost all UNIX viruses are aimed at attacking servers running some vulnerable scripts (like phpbb).

The average Linux box is not going to be endangered.



After all, why would "hackers" attack their own stuff?

the only reason i run a virus scanner on any of my linux systems is so i do not propagate them to others via e-mail.

i run clamAV on my e-mail server and on my laptop. e-mail server is obvious as why (and i can tell you it really works i have caught something like 400 viruses in the last 90 days with it and stopped them from infecting all the helpless windows systems it serves) i run it on my laptop as i am often using that to transfer large files (in excess of 2G in a normal transfer) or to fix windows networks/workstations and if i have to move files off of a windows system onto my laptop clamAV will clean out the virus before i put it back on a windows system.

as for needing it to really protect your personal workstation... i do not see a need for it if you use web-mail as mentioned above, but if you use torrents, or P2P type software or get e-mails directly on your system, then an antivirus might not be a bad idea just to keep the virus from spreading past your system.