From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word âLinuxâ in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Linux is a very heterogeneous platform. Iâd say trying to make malware compatible across distros could be quite a challenge, and not very profitable.
* me laughs in Solus
Open source malware. Cool.
Fun fact: âmalware as a serviceâ is very much a booming business on the black market. Usually in the form of things like cryptominers/cryptostealers, adware/scamware, spyware, and ransomware. You pay to buy prepackaged malware, usually one designed to make you money as a kind of return on investment, and deploy it.
Itâs the reason security researchers often find that âthis new malware going aroundâ is âsimilar to/a strain of/uses the same engine as this older malwareâ.
In one way, it could be argued that this has a positive side to it. As more people consider Linux adoption, malware authors are noticing that and determining that it is worth their time to write a linux version of their malware.
On the other hand, Linux systems often contain more valuable things than Windows or Mac. The average person probably doesnât have too much valuable data on their PC, but a web server? Database server? Corporate network control node? Those are jackpots in comparison.