Security Software / Email
Hello everyone!
Not all trisquel related issue so I didn't know where to post it.
What should I have as security software in my linux OS? I saw a similar post but since I don't understand anything on the topic I thought I could try out.
For like, firewall, antivirus (linux/windows), anti malware, etc? And how to work with them/set them up or the likes of it. I'm not very familiar with terminal as to work with an application that is used only in terminal (search for commands, understand errors, etc)
Annnnnnd. As a Gmail user I'd like to switch my email provider. Any ideas? I won't create my own since I don't have any skills on that. What about proton mail, anyone heard of it?
Cheers :)
JackSkell
PS: icecat safer than firefox? I'm having issues, had to reinstall since when I closed icecat I couldn't open again, I would get a warning saying it didn't close properly and processes were still running. Happened to anyone?
I am a translator!
Hi!
GNU/linux (linux is just a small part of your OS, the invisible part you don't directly use that connects your computer's hardware to the software) is very secure by default if compared to proprietary OSes.
1- Default Trisquel installation shouldn't have services listening to external ports but if you feel like installing a firewall (I do) then:
sudo apt-get install ufw
sudo ufw enable
You won't be getting malware like say spyware or adware (winnon$) and NO! You DON'T need an antivirus.
What you need is make sure you system is updated.
And, very important point IMHO, install software ONLY from your repository. If you need an application that is not in the repo then make sure it is free software and then COMPILE it (seems difficult but it really is not - read the readme files of the sources).
Use a decent strong user psswd and don't use root.
NEVER use any kind of proprietary software.
Relax and enjoy GNU!
2 - The mail providers I can recommend are riseup (requires an invitation) and ruggedinbox.
3 - The thing happening to your Icecat is that it keeps running in the background when you close it. What you want to do is open up the terminal and type:
killall icecat
Then you can click on Icecat to open it again.
cheers
"linux is just a small part of your OS"
its still quite a significant program so i would not call it small
but the OS is definitely more than just Linux
Ah I see. But do I need to configure the ufw/gufw manually or is it all set? And no need for clamav and other rootkit hunters an so far then?
One think you mentioned: installing ONLY from repository--> is this the Software Center && Synaptic Manager? So, never from the software website where they have the last releases?
what about ppa, command "web https: etc", "add-repository"?
riseup and ruggedinbox I will check these two. ProtonMail seemed nice but who knows...
About icecat: is it malfunction or something I did like adding addon? Since it is malfunctioning.
Thanks very much :)
So, I can post related topics on this forum section?
Cheers
JackS
Yes, Add/Remove Applications and Synaptic are both tools to install software from the repository. In general, the Windows method of finding software from untrusted sources on the Internet is incredibly insecure. That's not to say that you should never do it, but you should only do so when necessary (e.g. because you need a particular feature in a new version of the program, or because the program doesn't exist in the Trisquel repo at all). And ideally, you should also take precautions: check signatures and checksums if available, and compile the source code yourself.
The same applies to JavaScript code that browsers nowadays execute almost blindly. Web browser developers tend to be diligent about trying to prevent malicious JavaScript code from being possible, but this is a tall order, so they frequently fail. Just recently, for example, malicious JavaScript code was used to compromise SSH keys and some other sensitive things. So really, you should disable JavaScript in your Web browser as well, and avoid using it until a Web browser comes out which handles it properly. I would argue that you should do so for the sake of your freedom, too:
So I shouldn't add ppa and that kind of stuff right? Thanks! This all too new to me and quite overwhelming... And probably I'm not using the forum correctly maybe but getting these tips and things is complicated and everyone here seems so nice and helpful. I have no option except using win7 for a certain software I need for university, and there's no way around. In terms of privacy, is it the same using win7 normally (booting OS) or in virtual machine? The latter is safer in terms of security I guess.
By the way, cool page you have! I'll take a better look at it! So, you're into computer Science. I studied C language in my first Uni year. It was some years ago and I don't remember anything. I wanted to learn a language/practice so any hint on what language to pick up? Java?
Thanks in advance :)
You can add a PPA. But you need to trust the administrator of the PPA. It can contain proprietary software and even malware. And even if it does not now, it can include such nasty software in the future. You may end up installing it along an update.
If you want to learn a higher-level language, try Python (extremely popular, hence many available libraries) or Ruby. Java is like an intermediary between such languages and C++. I do not see much point for that intermediary.
I am a translator!
true. javascript is terrible. I allow it on just one site - that has been my policy for more then a year now. :)
