Should I be concerned with having a anti-virus and an anti-spyware on all of linux machines. Given that daily there are new viruses and spyware garbage that come out everyday. If so what could you recommend that I use as an anti-virus and anti-spyware program to run on my linux boxes?

On linux you don't have to be worried about virus or spyware. There is anti-virus for linux, but it's mostly to avoid passing it to your windows friends via email. Look up ClamAV

The only anti-'spyware' measures I take are to clean out my cookies now and again. Actually, iirc, I have FireFox set to clear cookies on close. As pljvaldez mentioned, no real need for antivirus unless you're running a mail serverm and then only to protect people at the other end.

Is there any type of anti-spyware for linux?

Nobody has written an anti-spyware program for linux. Suprising considering how easy it would be, nothing to remove you see.

What makes linux so secure. Is is that is isnt a dominant operating system like windows in todays market and that programmers havnt focus in on the operating system. If I am correct for years Unix was the dominant operating systems for years for the government and universities. Given that there were not that many malicious programmers as there are today that created viruses that created headaches. So is it that when an operating system becomes dominant it is just the focus of malicious programmers at that time and a challenge. I believe that is all that is and that Linux hasnt dominated the market yet but when it does watch out!

Well, there's also a fundamental difference in the way linux is setup vs the way windows is setup. In windows, most people generally are "super user" or "administrator" all the time.

In linux, most people are just regular users and don't have any priveledges. So if a virus was attempted, there would be more localized damage.

I have to disagree with the comment that Linux doesn't have problems because it's a small target. In many cases it's not a small target (look at Apache). There's an interesting read at http://www.theregister.co.uk/securit...dows_vs_linux/. Disclaimer - my perspective is based on software available now for using Linux as a server.

I agree with linux not beiing a "small target". It is estimated that there millions of linux boxes not to mention the root servers. I think people say that to justify why windows is plagued by virii. just my opinion though

I guess it ok to say that unix is a better designed operating system that windows as far as security.

Don't worry about it. There aren't any real Linux virii/spyware apps out there anyway, and even if there were the damage they could do would be very limited. Of course if you are running a large website or a workstation you must have up for your job or something -- you should have protection -- but unless Linux popularity explodes any time soon there's no reason to worry at all.

so I quess when linux does become popular and malicious programmers destroy it security credibility,then it will be classied as garbage just like windows for its many flaws and I am sure will come from the same hippocritical people that so religiously defend it so back to my point and case in that linux just simply does not have the popularity of windows thus malicious programmers just havnt focused on it yet.

You really should provide evidence when you make claims like that. Did you read the link to the article at http://www.theregister.co.uk/securit...dows_vs_linux/ that I posted earlier?

Please read it. If you disagree then that's fine, but say why you disagree. Debate is a good thing, flamebait is not.

this isn't like windows so virus(when one comes to linux) can not install it self. you have to do it. Second the only virus protection is seLinux by red Hat and that isn't really a anti virus program

gentlemen, I love a little debait. I truly do understand where everybody is comming from. Many thanks for comments.