Stay safe when using a Linux PC

Linux is more secure than Windows by design, so many of the security and upkeep chores that blight Windows usage are not necessary.

Tasks that are required are often simpler to perform, reducing the housekeeping element of running a PC to little more than a couple of clicks. There are still some issues a Linux user will need to pay regular attention to, however.

In this article we will explain which security techniques are needed in Linux, focusing in particular on the popular Ubuntu version.

Anti-virus
The debate about whether Linux needs anti-virus protection will probably never end. The way Linux is designed makes it difficult for viruses to work the way they do in a Windows environment.

But it’s not impossible for someone to find a way to attack Linux. Another consideration is that while a virus in an email might not affect a Linux computer, the email and its associated virus might wreak havoc if it found its way via your computer to a friend using Windows.

Getting rid of any viruses on your PC, whether they are harmful to your system or not, is probably the right thing to do. Thankfully, there are some Linux anti-virus programs, namely AVG and ClamAV.

ClamAV can be found in Ubuntu’s Add/Remove utility and AVG for Linux can be downloaded from the Com puteractive website.

Firewall
A firewall is a piece of hardware or software that prevents unauthorised access to your computer via a network, whether it is a home network or the internet.

The basic firewall installed with Ubuntu prevents any unsolicited incoming communication from the internet. But it’s possible to gain more control over various functions by switching to the Firestarter firewall.

Phishing and spam
Users of Linux systems are as likely to suffer from phishing and junk email as Windows users. To help protect against these problems, make sure your email program is checking for junk mail and does not load external images.

If you are using Evolution for your email, click on the Edit menu and then on Preferences. Click on Mail Preferences in the left-hand column. Click on the HTML Messages tab and make sure the option ‘Never load images from the internet’ is selected.

If you subscribe to lots of HTML newsletters, you may want to enable the ‘Load images in messages from contacts’ option.

Click on the Junk tab and make sure that the ‘Check incoming messages for junk’ option is selected as well as the ‘Do not mark messages as junk if sender is in my address book’ option to avoid missing emails.

To reduce time spent filling in contacts, click on the Automatic Contacts tab and select ‘Auto-create address book entries when replying to messages’. Select ‘Personal’ in the menu below.

It’s also worth considering web browser security as well as that of the main operating system. For example, the McAfee Siteadvisor Firefox add-on offers helpful advice as to the trustworthiness of sites.

Maintenance
All computers need care and attention and this doesn’t change with Linux. Thankfully, it’s less hassle to keep your PC running smoothly than it is with Windows. There is no need to defragment the disk; files are arranged differently on the hard disk, removing the need for this kind of maintenance.

Ubuntu makes periodic checks of the hard disk. Every so often, startup will take a little longer as disks are checked for errors. It is possible to cancel the check by pressing the Escape key but we don’t recommend it.

It is, however, a good idea to periodically check that the hard disk isn’t getting too full. There is a utility for seeing what is using up your hard disk space: click on Applications, then Accessories and Disk Usage Analyser.

It is possible to check the entire hard disk but, because deleting system files is just as bad an idea in Linux as it is in Windows, click on the Scan Home button instead. This will show how much space your files are using.

Remember, it’s just as important to back up your documents on a Linux PC as it is in Windows.

Staying on top
We might have mocked Windows and its updates earlier, but that’s not to say that updates aren’t
important in Linux. It’s just much easier to keep your Linux system and all its software up to date.

Ubuntu automatically checks for updates for all the software installed on your PC through its
Add/Remove utility or the Synaptic Package Manager.

To check yourself, click on the System menu, then Administration and then Update Manager. Click on the Check button and Ubuntu will look up the information about the latest software.

Finally don’t forget the physical maintenance of the computer. Dust and grime can cause problems from overheating to hardware failures.

You can find advice on Computeractive TV on how to clean your desktop or laptop.

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