Which file formats are used to make viruses in Ubuntu? [closed]

Which file formats are used to make viruses in Ubuntu? For example, most Windows viruses are written in .exe format, but I can’t identity the usual format in Ubuntu.

Contrary to popular belief there are Viruses for Linux and quite a lot too. While they are much less common on Linux and require you to allow them into the system most of the time, they still exist.

Viruses are not limited to a file type, on Ubuntu or Windows. There is not a certain type of file to avoid or anything like that, just be careful. Linux is secure, as long as you are careful.

Some things you can do to be safe are:

1. Don't download from 3rd parties unless you trust what you're downloading.
2. Use apt or Launchpad (Ubuntu's code hosting service) and similar services to get software from the source.
3. Avoid copying and pasting terminal commands you find online, especially if you don't understand them.

You can also use an anti virus like clamav if you want to scan your system for any threats.

sudo apt-get install clamav

Install clamtk for a gui.

Here is some reading on common linux viruses and how to deal with them.

Extensions mean nothing. While windows cares about em, there's non .exe viruses. In linux, your extension matters little. "What kind of file" is a little more elemental.

Essentially in linux, its likely to be some flavour of ELF binary, perhaps as a static or shared object.

It might even hook into the kernel as a module or otherwise as a rootkit, or simply replace a core operating system tool or component with its own one.

Not all of them are though - there's java viruses, as class files, assembly based shellcode exploits or even the possibility of malware written in bash (though how it would be run to start with would be interesting).

So essentially, if you arn't sure, don't trust it ;)