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You’re probably familiar with the tagline “America runs on Dunkin.” Well, if the writers who came up with it worked in the Free Software Foundation, they might as well say, “The Internet runs on Linux.” The only difference is that they’d be factually correct. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linux is the primary operating system for many application backends, including Apache and Nginx \u2014 systems responsible for delivering a large part of the internet’s content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In cloud computing, Linux is the operating system of choice for platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Its lightweight and modular design allows Linux to operate on low-power devices, such as sensors, smart home gadgets, and wearables, which makes the OS ubiquitous in Internet of Things (IoT) devices: sensors, smart home gadgets, and wearables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linux is often praised for being more secure and having fewer vulnerabilities out of the box compared to Microsoft Windows. This is true, but it doesn’t mean Linux is entirely invulnerable for malware.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since 2018, there’s been a shift in focus among hackers who began developing new Lunux malware. As of March 2018, 15,762 new Linux malware variants were developed, a remarkably sharp increase from the 4,706 new variants developed by March 2017.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the IBM Security Report titled “Attacks on Industries Supporting COVID-19 Response Efforts Double” highlights: “Cybercriminals Accelerate Use of Linux Malware \u2013 With a 40% increase in Linux-related malware families in the past year, and a 500% increase in Go-written malware in the first six months of 2020, attackers are accelerating a migration to Linux malware.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This trend creates a massive risk to both companies and individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n