HP Unix virus and anti-virus ?

[Yaboto]

Hi,

An HP Unix student asked me this question and I could not properly answer him with enough confidence: Does HP Unix have AntiVirus softwares ? To prouve the relevance of his questions he told me that Linux has Antivirus Softwares to protect from viruses.
Please enlighten me on this issue.

Regards,
Mawuena

[Torsten.]

I never heard about a virus for unix or a antivirus softwre to protect the OS, but there is software that can check the files, for example if you share files to a windows server or you run a mail server (the software can check the mails and attachments).

[Ivan Krastev]

See clamav as a part of Internet Express software - http://h20293.www2.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=HPUXIEXP1131


regards,
ivan

[Torsten.]

Exactly, from the product overview page:

"Clam AntiVirus is an antivirus toolkit for UNIX®. It is primarily used on mail servers for scanning email attachments"

[Pete Randall]

Google searches turn up lots of Forums discussions on this subject. Here are a couple:


http://forums12.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=36296&admit=109447627+1200659859857+28353475
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0xeb661012aa92d5118ff1
0090279cd0f9,00.html


Pete

[Ivan Krastev]

Another usage is for CIFS shares, exported to Windows systems.


regards,
ivan

[Wim Rombauts]

Why would you need an anti-virus program on unix servers ?
First of all, over 90% of all computers (including end-user desktop systems) are x86 based windows and linux systems. Why would anyone care to write a virus for an HP-UX (or solaris or AIX for that matter) when the major task would be to find a single one, and if the virus would have found one, how would it get to other HP-UX systems at other companies ? Writing HP-UX virusses is just not worth it.
Windows and linux systems are there plenty. They are everywhere. Just launch your virus on the internet, and it will spread itself.

Then there is the other thing : how do virusses spread : They spread by automatic system actions and responses, or by unwary user actions. The first are plenty on windows systems. The second can also happen on linux. This is more exploiting the shortcomings or the features of the software installed on the system, that's why - until now - linux is les vulnerable to virusses than windows. windows is still the most popular virus platform (but that could change).
Servers mostly don't have that kind of software, and mostly don't have unwary users working directly on them with end-user software. Another reason why HP-UX servers don't need anti-virus softwares.

What anti-virus software DO exist on HP-UX : Mailvirus scanners (like CLAMAV) - but then these virusses don't attack the server, but the end-user system reading the mail - or virus scanners for filesystems that are mounted by windows systems, but then they check for windows viruses, not for HP-UX viruses.

[dileepkumarhr]

hello,

* on-demand scanner
* on-acces scanner
* virus protection / content-filtering at the eMail gateway
* virus protection / content-filtering at the Internet gateway


2.1 on demand-scanner
2.1.1 F-Secure Antivirus for Linux
Producer/Developer: F-Secure Corp., Finland
Platform: Linux, Solaris
Download: http://www.f-secure.com/download-purchase/
Version: 4.09
Size: approx. 1.6 MB
Contact: Anti-Virus-Sales@f-secure.com
Pricing:
Comments: Trial version available upon request

2.1.2 H+B EDV AntiVir/X
Producer/Developer: H+B EDV Datentechnik GmbH, Tettnang, Germany
Platfom: Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
Download: http://www.hbedv.com/
Version: 6.07, 2001-05-11
Size (compressed): approx. 1 MB
contact person: linux_support@antivir.de
Pricing: AntiVir/X is freeware for private use, but it is recommended
to register the software via eMail. For commercial use, please
contact H+B EDV
Comments: TkAntVir, a GUI written witk Tcl/Tk is available from
www.geiges.de/tkantivir/


2.1.3 NAI Virus Scan (uvscan) for Unix (Linux)
Producer/Developer: Network Associates, USA
Platform: FreeBSD, AIX, HP UX, Linux, SCO, Solaris
Download: http://www.mcafeeb2b.com/naicommon/buy-try/try/products-evals.asp
Version: 4.7 (licensed version)
Size (compressed): approx. 3,7 MB
contact person: support@nai.com, sales@nai.com
Pricing: should be part of the "Total Virus Defense", please ask
their sales team.
Comment: 4.14.0 is currently beta


2.1.4 Sophos Sweep for Linux
Producter/Developer: Sophos UK / Sophos US
Platform: Solaris (SPARC/Intel), Linux (Intel/Alpha), SCO OpenServer (Intel),
SCO UnixWare (Intel), Digital Unix (Alpha), AIX (PowerPC),
FreeBSD (Intel), HP-UX (HP-PA)
Download: http://www.sophos.com/downloads/eval/savunix.html
Version: 3.45, May 2001
Size (compressed): approx. 1 MB
contact person: support@sophos.com
Pricing: In Germany it is freeware for private use, but it is
recommended to register it by email, phone or fax. For commercial
use please ask the sales team (sales@sophos.com)
Comment:

2.1.5 Trend Micro FileScan for Linux
Producer/Developer: Trend Micro, USA
Platform: Intel
Download: ftp://ftp.antivirus.com/products/freetools
Version: 1.0
Size (compressed): approx. 2,5 MB
contact person:
Pricing: free of charge (non-commercial use only)
Comments: please read
http://solutionbank.antivirus.com/solutions/solutionDetail.asp?solutionID=7353

2.1.6 CyberSoft VFind Security ToolKit (VSTK) for Linux
Developer: CyberSoft Inc., United States
Platform: DEC Alpha, SCO UnixWare/Unix, Sun Solaris/SunOS, Unisys,
Linux
Download: an evaluation copy is available upon request
Version: Current VSTK157
Size (compressed): approx. 1 MB
Contact: sales@cyber.com
Pricing: see http://www.cyber.com/products/masterprice.html
Comments: The VFind Security ToolKit is a suite of computer security and
antivirus tools.


2.1.7 Kaspersky Anti Virus (AVP)
Developer: Kaspersky Lab, Russia
Platform: Linux, FreeBSD, BSDI
Download: http://www.kaspersky.com/
Version: 3.0 - build 135
Size (compressed): approx 3 KB (server version)
Contact: sales@avp.ru or sales@avp.com
Pricing: commercial
Comments: contains now AVP Daemon and AVP Monitor

thank you

[dirk dierickx]

the use of virus scanners on unix/linux is limited. mostly to mail servers/gateways and fileservers.

the closest thing you get on a unix system is a rootkit scanner, which checks for *ahum* rootkits.

http://www.chkrootkit.org/

is the one i use.