Top 5 Linux Antivirus Software Solutions

Linux Antivirus Software is limited and nearly not needed as Linux software runs circles around Windows software in terms of security and stability, Linux users should still be diligent in their security efforts. More and more malicious users are finding ways to compromise Linux systems, increasing the need for Linux antivirus software. The most well known antivirus software for Linux are reviewed below.

AVG Free Client for Linux AVG has a generally good anti virus reputation with Windows, but only recently did the program add Linux / Unix systems to its repertoire, and the current updates for those systems is not quite up to par with its Windows counterpart. However, it is free, and so there is very little reason to complain. Or is there? Unfortunately, with this version of AVG, the user gets what he or she pays for. Installation is quite easy, as there are packages readily available for all formats. The program runs as a system daemon which scans files on an automated schedule. You can also set this schedule, and configure the program to run on boot if desired. However, the documentation included with the package is not helpful in the least, and the program was not able to find a test virus on the system that was hardly hidden. 

AVG - 3 / 10 

Avira Antivir Professional Though Avira Antivir Professional must be used in the command line, users do not have to understand Bash to install it. After running the install script, the user will be asked questions to determine which options to install. Users will also be asked where their keyfile is located, which is a little annoying, but altogether the only inconvenience in the installation process. Upon testing, the software worked so quickly and used up so little memory that it was almost like nothing happened. 

Avira Antivir Professional - 7 / 10 

ClamAV Originally meant as an email scanner, ClamAV has the best support for email attachment formats. The program compiles easily, and allows the user to choose the installed options. The program has two features, one of which scans the command line that the user specifies, and the other daemon program which runs in the background and can scan automatically or upon demand. However, the program did not accurately scan the ISO image file. However, being an open source program, ClamaAV has more chances than most to improve. 

ClamAV - 9 / 10 

Sophos Anti Virus To be a commercial product, it is surprising that Sophos does not have a version that is up to par for Dazuko. And basically, for all its functionality over the web, it did not find the test virus inside of the ISO file. Worked about as well as the free version of AVG, and was actually slower. Of all the Linux antivirus software on this list, by far Sophos Anti Virus was the most disappointing, especially considering its business reputation. 

Sophos Anti Virus - 2 / 10 

ClamTK ClamTK is the most user friendly of our list, taking care of many operations automatically, like updates and virus sig files. Results are displayed in an easy to read format. Options can be easily turned on and off, and a feature of note is the history log of past scans. Overall, a good program that gets the job done without much fanfare, and among the most reliable antivirus software for Linux. 

ClamTK - 8 / 10