Getting started with ClamAV Antivirus for Linux
It is paramount that you consider grabbing an antivirus for your Linux machine, the problem is that there aren't that many out there, probably 7-8 companies that do. So I decided to make a post on ClamAV which is a free antivirus developed by Cisco, which you can read more about here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clam_AntiVirus
A quick note out there I am using Ubuntu 18.04 to install this, here's my version of an install guide for both via source and the package manager:
[Installing From Package Manager (Bionic Beaver Realease)]
First install the package:
$sudo freshclam # attempts to update the database
If the update spits out an error about the freshclam.log file it means you need to find the running process and kill it to do this run:
$sudo kill <insert pid here>
and run the freshclam command again.
To uninstall simply run:
[Installing From Source]
Navigate to https://www.clamav.net/downloads and then download/extract the contents. On your terminal navigate to the directory, and first make a new group and user for clamav:
# useradd -g clamav -s /bin/false -c "Clam AntiVirus" clamav
Then install it:
$ make
$ su -c "make install
Note that you need root priveleges for all of these commands! Also if you want to uninstall it simply navigate back to the extracted folder and run:
[Scanning Files]
Always remember to update the virus definitions with:
Then you can scan for viruses using this format:
clamscan OPTIONS File/Folder
If necessary start with root permissions: sudo clamscan
Examples:
To check all files on the computer, displaying the name of each file:
To check all files on the computer, but only display infected files and ring a bell when found:
To scan all files on the computer but only display infected files when found and have this run in the background:
Note - Display background process's status by running the jobs command.
To check files in the all users home directories:
To check files in the USER home directory and move infected files to another folder:
To check files in the USER home directory and remove infected files (WARNING: Files are gone.):
To see more options:
For more info on other commands consult the manual