ClamAV
Free open source virus scanner for Linux. Mostly used to check files before passing them to Windows users.
Our verdict
ClamAV is the virus scanner Linux actually uses, and the reason most people on Linux install it is not to protect themselves. It is built for mail servers, where its job is to catch Windows malware passing through on its way to someone else.
On a home Linux desktop that is still the honest use. If you forward attachments to family on Windows, or you keep a shared drive that Windows machines read, a scan before you pass a file on is a courtesy that costs nothing.
As personal protection it is thin. There is no polished window, no real-time shield out of the box, and the detection rate is behind the paid Windows products. Treat it as a file checker rather than a replacement for Norton, and spend your attention on keeping the system updated instead.
What's good
- Free and open source, with no subscription and no upsells
- Available in every mainstream Linux app store
- Detects Windows malware, which is the useful case when you are forwarding files to Windows friends
- Reads inside zip files, Office documents and PDFs rather than only checking the outside
What to know first
- Has no window of its own, it is a background tool, and a separate front end is needed to click through
- Detection rates are lower than a paid Windows antivirus, and it is not trying to compete on that
- Does not watch your machine in real time the way Windows Security does unless it is configured to
- Updating its virus list and reading its results is fiddly for a non-technical user
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (GPL-2.0)
- How you install it
- .deb installer, .rpm installer, Built-in app store
Windows apps it can replace
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