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Re: Viruses and rootkits WAS Re: weird problem with one mail account in Thunderbird....ISP or what ?

On 28/05/15 01:08 PM, Brian wrote:

On Thu 28 May 2015 at 12:52:33 -0400, Frank wrote:


On 28/05/15 12:37 PM, Lisi Reisz wrote:

On Thursday 28 May 2015 17:26:31 Darac Marjal wrote:

On Thu, 28 May 2015 11:34:44 -0400
Frank <debianlist@videotron.ca> wrote:

[cut]


     One more thing on this problem:

     Are there in fact any viruses that can infect Linux systems? I
know about rootkits but I gather they are rare. But the guys at my
ISP are so insistent I am beginning to wonder


There are viruses that run on Linux. Wikipedia has a non-exhaustive
list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_malware#Viruses

As Wikipedia points out, though, Linux tends to find it easier to close
the vulnerability that allowed the virus to run in the first place.
And, in many cases, vulnerabilities are found BEFORE they're exploited
(compare that with Windows, were someone might find a vulnerability and
start exploiting it and then no-one else might find the same problem
for some years).


Altough there have indeed been proof-of-concept viruses for Linux, I
understood that there had not yet been any in the wild.  But that is viruses,
not other forms of malware.

This problem arises when you open Firefox, not when you boot up?  And it
happens when you open Firefox, even when the computer has been running for a
while?



   It's not Firefox we're talking about ..it's Thunderbird and it
only affects one account, even though I have 3 on the same ISP.
No connection with booting - no connection with anything other
than that one account not being able to logon using IMAP.

It's the ISP security guys who are insisting in their words "the
account or perhaps your whole computer is infected".


If you are hoping to convince these "ISP security guys" using the power
of reason that neither the account nor the whole computer is infected
you are on a hiding to nothing.
Yeah, that's the way I'm beginning to feel. It appears they have some sort of a problem which they either can't see...or won't acknowledge. 
I'm going to try writing directly to their security department
mainly to see what is the reaction. I've gone beyond the point
of hoping they'll fix whatever is wrong.
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