Not using antivirus software is very dangerous. It is a false sense of security. If you are using windows, Kaspersky free antivirus is very good. If you are using linux you should have antivirus software installed. No security software is 100% effective, but security software is better than no security software.

https://usa.kaspersky.com/free-antivirus

Nowadays you get the free Windows Defender from MS and its arguably better than other AV programs, who generate a lot of fuss with false positives to remind the user to buy new versions and are sometimes destroying the OS install (recent news story I read), cause of being deeply integrated but sometimes wrongly (OS vendor obviously knows better what to update to keep it compatible).

Backups are the only way to be safe though, as said above.

15 hours ago, 49studebaker said:

Kaspersky free antivirus is very good.

On 10/12/2019 at 3:42 PM, Green_Baron said:

I have never caught a virus or any malware i knew of in my life and i am reaching towards the 60s.

Her's my how-to:...

9 hours ago, wintertime said:

other AV programs, who generate a lot of fuss with false positives to remind the user to buy new versions and are sometimes destroying the OS install (recent news story I read), cause of being deeply integrated but sometimes wrongly

Yes * 3. I highly recommend Kaspersky virus removal tool (not the full app). It doesn't integrate into your system, doesn't even install. You run it when you want to. I run it when my computer is acting slightly off or before sending programs I've made off into the world. I also run it before I run programs that I'm not sure about but I also use a sandbox.

They make it difficult to find, here is a direct link to the download...

https://usa.kaspersky.com/downloads/thank-you/free-virus-removal-tool

Oh, there are av toolkits in the debian repositories, no question and no need to revert to undocumented 3rd party software, however good its reputation may be. If i were partcularly eager i'd probably compile my own hardened stuff but that would mean i'd be off from my project for too long to learn the hows and whys, i already have procrastinated with side stuff far too much in the past months ?

Side story: once they tried to feed a rootkit to me, with a unity linux alpha version. 1 GB (!) download and root privileges needed to install (eyebrows lifting). After installation i searched for suid and guid files et voila, a present from google called chrome sandbox or so. Nobody explains to me that a sandbox running with root rights raises the safety of a multi user os. Interestingly, the software would not start without that file being present and the suid bit set. I didn't bother with uninstalling, i made a coffee break and installed the os new. Since then i don't even install software that demands root rights. Too much coffee is detrimental to bodily health and all that.

No end user software needs root rights on multi user os. Maybe on windows, idk ... colour me paranoid ? ?

Edit: this is not a rant. Sorry if sounds like. Everything's fine ?

When you download Github's projects is always important to use a very good antivirus (like Kaspersky or NOD32). If you can't afford a paid antivirus there is Avira that is free and good too.