A very useful plugin called Privacyfix has been updated. I talked about it earlier. But before moving on to review it, small lyrical digression.
It has long been no secret that the user's actions on the Internet are monitored. Mostly commercial companies are engaged in tracking users. Over 1200 companies can theoretically track which sites you visit. Take Facebook, for example. In the settings of this social network, by default, your profile is open to third parties and the social network itself is allowed to follow your preferences and interests. Google also sensitively controls all your actions on the Internet. Also, some of the companies collect personal information using your email address. In addition, scripts are embedded on many sites, they also help site developers learn a lot of "interesting" about you ... There is complete confidence that the information collected will not be used (as the same Facebook and Google assure) against you? Even so (which I personally doubt very much in connection with the latest scandals related to the revelations of American Snowden), but how do you like another recent scandal, when one South Korean collected private information about several million users (addresses, credit card numbers, electronic wallets, e-mail addresses, and so on) using only the Google search engine to find this information !!!
What conclusion suggests itself from all of the above? The conclusion is that it is necessary to limit as much as possible information about yourself on the Internet and prohibit companies and sites from collecting your personal information. It doesn't seem difficult to do this at all. For this, there is a special plugin called Privacyfix. With this browser extension, you can almost instantly check how much your privacy is protected on Facebook, Google and other websites and cloud services you visit. Then you can increase it (privacy) very simply, with a few mouse clicks, to maximize it. The Privacyfix plugin is currently developed only for the Google Chrome and Mozilla browsers. Let's consider its installation and use on the example of a browser.Google Chrome.
Installing and using the Privacyfix plugin.
We go to the official website of the developer by the link , download the Privacyfix plugin and add it to the browser.
After adding a temporary icon will appear (later it will change, but more on that below)... For initial testing, click on it. 
The plugin will test the state of your privacy on the Internet, after which you can customize it for yourself. For each action, detailed instructions are given, so how to proceed, you will figure it out without any problems. For example, in the section dedicated to Google when you hover the mouse cursor over the "Search log" item, you will see instructions for further actions and, if desired, prohibit Google collect information.
Etc.
After completing your online privacy settings, the plugin icon will change. By clicking on it, make sure that tracking is enabled (the button in the "Ad trackers" should be green, if not, then click on it to enable blocking of data collection by third-party resources.
Also, you can always return to the general settings by clicking on the inscription Privacyfix in the next section.
How to protect yourself from Internet surveillance? Computer Tracking Protection- a question that sounded especially loud after the scandal involving American intelligence officer Edward Snowden, who disclosed classified information about the PRISM project.
PRISM - a set of measures Internet surveillance, which gives the NSA the ability to view e-mail, listen to voice and video chats, view photos, videos, track files forwarded, learn details from social networks. Also, such large companies as Microsoft (Hotmail mail service), Google (Google Mail), Yahoo! (search engine), Facebook (social network), YouTube (video hosting), Skype (calls), AOL, Apple and Paltalk.
Many will say: but I have nothing to hide, why should I think about how to protect yourself from Internet surveillance? My answer is: just watch Ridley Scott's film "Enemy of the State" whose script, in the light of recent events, turned out to be more real than we could have imagined!
I don't think you should cheer yourself up with the hope that other states do not have an analogue of Prism. Doesn't a naive reader think that ZAO Kaspersky makes only antiviruses, which are designed to monitor the cleanliness of your PC and the morale of your children, not letting young and curious offspring go to the coveted XXX sites? EV Kaspersky - studied and worked at the KGB, repeatedly advocated the construction of a Russian firewall (analogous to the Chinese electronic wall), which would protect citizens from information unnecessary and dangerous for their fragile minds on the Internet. Also, the author of the well-known antivirus offered to introduce personalized access to the network using special cards (i.e. remove the anonymity of users). “Safe computer - off computer” - these are the words of Evgeny Valentinovich. I think he knows what he's talking about ...
Edward Snowden on how to protect yourself from online surveillance.
Edward Snowden when asked about how to protect yourself from Internet surveillance replied: “Properly applied strong encryption works great as computer tracking protection... But you have to worry about the end points. If someone steals your key (or clear text before encryption), no amount of cryptography can protect you. By combining good endpoint security with transfer security, people can have much more confidence in their day to day communications. ”In plain language, he advises browsing the network through encrypted connections and proxies. What encryption and proxies are, read further in the article.
Richard Stallman on the security of private information and protection from surveillance on the Internet.
The question of how to protect yourself from surveillance on the Internet also worries the patriarch of free software, the founder of the GNU / Linux project, Richard Stallman.
“Mass surveillance is directed at you because it is directed at everyone, everywhere and all the time. This is what makes her a massive evil. I resist surveillance not so much for my own secrets (since I have fewer secrets than most people), but because it is every citizen's duty to resist a system that persecutes dissidents and journalists. "
To protect yourself from Internet surveillance Richard Stallman advises:
- Use open source programs (i.e. not commercial, but their free counterparts under the GNU GPL license). The GNU GPL license implies the complete openness of the program, its algorithm of work, which excludes all kinds of "surprises" that developers can put in it.
- Refuse to use all kinds of social media and postal services Google, Microsoft.
- To protect yourself from Internet surveillance, you should use secure browsers such as Tor.
- If possible, do not leave registration data about yourself on the Internet.
By the way, did you know that your favorite Samsung Galaxy shovel phone with Android operating system can calmly follow you? The security service no longer needs to break into the house of citizens and place "wiretaps" there, they themselves are happy to try to buy them and proudly carry them with them.
Tor will help protect you from Internet surveillance.
Like the actual algorithm of the Internet (who does not know: the progenitor of the modern Internet was the ARPANET network), the principle of the Tor system was developed by the US military. In essence, Tor is a proxy server system that allows you to establish an anonymous network connection, protected from eavesdropping. Tor uses onion routing, which works according to the principle of mixed connections: messages are sent from source to destination through a series of proxy servers that redirect the message in an unpredictable direction. Each router decrypts the message “layer” with its key and receives instructions for further forwarding.
Alice's computer connects to Bob's laptop through randomly selected routing proxies using an encrypted channel. Tor Browser - Best Protection Against Computer Tracking.
Download the Russified Tor browser from the official website by following this link.
Not Tor alone.
In addition to the Tor system, I2P "Invisible Internet Project" ( "Project Invisible Internet"). I2P is open source software designed to create a highly secure, anonymous, encrypted network. The Invisible Internet project supports any traditional network services and protocols such as email, IRC, HTTP, Telnet, Squid and DNS and is used for web surfing, anonymous hosting, email, VoIP, etc.
You searched for: how to protect yourself from Internet surveillance? Computer Tracking Protection.
Despite the cancellation of Snowden's first public appearance in Russia, his advice on maintaining privacy on the Internet is more relevant day by day. collected the recommendations of the most famous former US intelligence officer on how to protect yourself on the Web.
1. Encryption of voice calls and text messages. Snowden is an absolute supporter of encryption of all stored and transmitted content. There are many applications now that have encryption functions. Moreover, among them there are common and well-known messengers, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, ICQ. By the way, the most popular - WhatsApp - introduced full end-to-end encryption in April 2016.
The most favorite messenger for communication, Snowden himself calls Signal (there is for and), which, as he wrote in his "Twitter", he uses every day. The application is being developed by Open Whisper Systems, which also offers call encryption.
2. Encryption of the hard drive. In addition to protecting mobile devices, the former CIA agent also advises securing his computer, in particular the hard drive. You can find instructions on how to do this on the Internet. Usually special software is used. For example, for Windows there is a program preinstalled in advanced versions of the OS - BitLocker, for Mac - FileVault. Thus, if your computer is stolen, an attacker will not be able to read your data.
3. Password managers. A useful thing that most people don't even think about. Such programs allow you to keep your passwords in order - create unique keys and store them. According to Snowden, one of the most common online privacy problems is leaks: for example, a service on which a user signed up in 2007 was attacked and the data leaked onto the Web - just remember the recent reports about the sale of millions of passwords from Twitter accounts. , VKontakte, MySpace, LinkedIn. There are various password managers on the market such as 1Password, KeePassX, and LastPass.
4. Two-factor authentication. Control words that were previously offered on large services and that allow you to recover passwords using them are a thing of the past. Now all popular online platforms - Facebook, VKontakte, email clients, Twitter, Dropbox - have switched to two-step authentication. It allows you to bind a phone number to your account, with the help of which additional authorization will occur when you enter your account. It will also help you recover your lost password. True, you will have to "light up" your mobile phone, which makes it possible to identify you with the specified number (as, for example, Facebook does, allowing you to find a user by his phone).
5. Tor. Anonymous Tor (abbreviated as The Onion Router) is described by a former NSA employee as "the most important privacy technology project in use today." He stated that he uses it on a daily basis. Tor allows you to “cover your tracks” on the Internet, that is, it provides anonymity, makes it difficult to determine the IP address and location of a person. This is done by connecting through a chain of intermediate computers belonging to various network users. The project is supported exclusively by volunteers. The easiest way to use the system is through the browser of the same name ().
6. And once again about passwords. Snowden advises using not words like onetwothreefour (“one to three four”) or even password (“password”) as a key to an account, but something more intricate that even a computer cannot pick up, but at the same time memorable - margaretthatcheris110% SEXY (“margaretthatcheris110% ”).
For the special paranoid
In the video below, a former NSA agent showed a journalist how to avoid total surveillance by intelligence agencies, which can remotely turn on a microphone or camera on a smartphone and start listening. The answer is simple - remove the microphone and camera modules from the device. Instead, it is proposed to use an external accessory and unlearn selfies.
For the convenience of Internet users, browser functions are constantly being improved. However, browsers are not only getting better, but also "more curious": they send search queries, information about the use of programs and other information to the servers of their developers. The websites visited can share information with each other through various cookies that remain on the system.
It has always been believed that special services can easily eavesdrop on any conversation and read email correspondence, messages on social networks and through instant messengers.
How do intelligence agencies receive correspondence?
Several methods are used to obtain information. So, what methods of reading someone else's mail are available to the Russian special services.
- SORM is a system of technical means for ensuring the functions of operational-search measures. This is the provision by Internet providers of access to their communication channels, special-purpose services. Without providing such access, not one Internet provider in the Russian Federation will receive a license.
- An official request from an investigator, prosecutor or court to the server of a company providing e-mail services.
But not everything is so difficult for those who encrypt the communication channel, as well as use foreign postal services. The servers of foreign mail services are not physically located in the Russian Federation and are not licensed to operate in the Russian Federation.
The Russian government recommends, and in some cases tries to force foreign companies to cooperate with the Russian Federation and provide access to the correspondence of its users. For example, the well-known Telegram service Pavel Durov has repeatedly threatened to ban and block on the territory of Russia if he does not cooperate with the special services of the Russian Federation.
"Skype, for example, immediately agreed to cooperate, it gives the authorities access to encryption algorithms," Putin's advisor German Klimenko said in an interview with the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda".
How to choose a mail service and protect yourself from reading your mail?
It is necessary to proceed from the fact whether the postal company cooperates with the laws of Russia or not. I will quote the words of the adviser to the President of Russia German Klimenko from an interview with the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. “So - our company Mail.ru will answer the inquiry of the investigator. And Google will not answer, but send it away. Why? He also responds to 32 thousand inquiries from the US National Security Agency per year. And he doesn't answer ours. " From here we can conclude that services such as mail.ru, yandex.ru, rambler.ru can be read by the FSB of the Russian Federation, but such services as yahoo.com, gmail.com, aol.com do not.
Any legislation in the field of messaging boils down to the fact that we build servers, and if you are encrypted, provide access keys. The question is why?
Adding tracking protection to your browser
Why does the Russian government want to control everything? The government explains this as helping to catch criminals: “drug addicts, rapists, pedophiles,” Klimenko reports.
Although on the Internet you can read the alternative opinion of people who talk about the control of petty criminals as just a curtain, but the meaning of total control lies elsewhere. Well, for example, to identify organizations of mass protests against the current government. Revealing oppositional activities.
Let's summarize:
In order to protect your correspondence, you need to use the postal services of a foreign service with a democratic policy, be sure to encrypt your Internet connection, because this is not prohibited by law.
Herman KlimenkoTraffic encryption
Every time you access the Internet, you leave "digital traces": passwords from accounts, messages, information about your preferences. Sometimes there is absolutely no need for outsiders to store this data. 42.TUT.BY has compiled an "instruction for paranoids" and collected ways to protect ad networks, large services and cybercriminals from online surveillance.
Inappropriate ads can be annoying: the iron was bought a long time ago, and you see it again and again. Or they can put you in an awkward situation if, for example, after a search query for C # strings, your work computer starts showing you an advertisement for lingerie.
The two largest networks whose advertisements are seen by Belarusian users are Google AdWords and Yandex.Direct, their blocks are placed on thousands of sites. You can turn off the personalization of advertisements from the Google network here, and for Yandex - here. After that, advertising will not disappear, but it will stop taking into account the history of the sites you visited and the content of search queries.
You can also activate the Do Not Track feature in your browser. It will notify sites that you do not want advertisers to track your movements on the Web and collect data using cookies. The most intrusive advertisers can be stopped with special plugins. They will block cookies and scripts from companies that continue to track your activities despite your ban.
Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox, Android, iOS, Facebook.
Plugins: Privacy Badger (available for Chrome and Firefox browsers) or Ghostery (available for Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari).
Many online login services use social media accounts as a quick substitute for registration. Sometimes they just confirm your identity, and sometimes they get the rights to access correspondence and even post records for you.
Sometimes, even if you no longer use the service, the permissions for it continue to be stored. In such cases, it is better to disable unnecessary third-party applications linked to your social networks.
How to disable third-party services:
VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook, Google.
Google watches every step
Google is the world's largest IT company, and many of its services are the most popular on the planet. And most likely, these services know more about you than you do.
Google remembers every product you've ever used, everything you find through searches, every video you've watched on YouTube, the passwords you've saved, and even your movements.
All this information is stored in order for the company's services to work better. Google takes privacy seriously. True, such a volume of your data in one place can cause internal discomfort.
How to disable:
You can turn off Google tracking yourself on the dedicated tracking and security pages.
Surveillance of hackers or special services
If you feel like someone is deliberately following you, you should practice digital hygiene. Nobody knows for sure what tools are used by people who want to steal your information. Here are some tips from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit project that advocates for civil liberties on the Internet.
Use HTTPS... With the help of strong encryption, every message sent is converted so that no one except the addressee can read it. HTTPS encrypts communications so that they cannot be seen by other people on your network - for example, users of the same Wi-Fi connection, work colleagues, or attackers. If communication is not over HTTPS, but over HTTP, intercepting and reading everything for which the browser is used becomes a simple task.
Many sites use encryption to protect data, but this protection is not always enabled by default. The plugin for HTTPS Everywhere browsers will help solve this problem, which includes the encryption function on all sites where it is available.
Use VPN.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a virtual private network. It protects your internet traffic from being monitored on public networks. There are many free and paid options online. A free VPN client with unlimited data consumption has recently been included in the Opera browser.
How to encrypt everything at all
Encrypt correspondence... If you are discussing something via VKontakte or WhatsApp, your messages are already encrypted from intruders and any third parties while the information is in transit. But the chat is not protected from the service provider company. It has encryption keys for your chat and can pass them on to authorities or use them for marketing purposes.
To protect your correspondence, you can apply additional encryption for instant messages and e-mail - for example, OTR technology or PGP encryption. Another option is to use "secure" messengers, which prevent the server from recording your conversation. For example Signal (Android, iOS) or ChatSecure (Android, iOS).
Go online through the Tor Browser... It works like any other web browser, only sends your requests through Tor.
The safest browser: how to get away from surveillance on the Internet
For those who follow you, it is more difficult to find out exactly what you are doing online. For those who follow the sites you visit, it is more difficult to determine where you are connected from. The browser itself can be downloaded here, and the installation guide can be read here.
True, all these measures cannot provide absolute guarantees. What you formally deleted may continue to be stored on someone's servers, and serious precautions may contain vulnerabilities. It is worth remembering that the most reliable way to protect yourself from online surveillance is not to use the Internet at all.
Read completely: https://42.tut.by/522004
Read completely: https://42.tut.by/522004
Read completely: https://42.tut.by/522004
Read completely: https://42.tut.by/522004
2004 r.
How to protect yourself from scanners
Publishing House "KOMIZDAT"
In addition to viruses and spam, so-called scanners often penetrate a computer from the Internet. These intruders make themselves at home on the computer and start spying on the hosts.
Few people still do not know that storing confidential information on a computer is far from being as safe as in a safe or even just in a drawer, especially if the computer is connected to the Internet. But in order for someone to interfere in your affairs, an Internet connection is not at all necessary. Of course, the creators of some websites monitor user activity and then sell that information to advertisers. But besides this, programs are often downloaded to a computer via the Network that spy on our actions and report them to their unknown masters.
These spyware utilities are usually installed on the PC along with free programs that promise - and do - something useful. But, as you know, free cheese is only in a mousetrap.
The second type of spyware does not come to us from the Internet, but from respected bosses who want to know what we do during working hours. This option is worse because you cannot forbid your boss to follow you! Jealous spouses and vigilant parents use similar things ...
Commercial keyboard scanners such as Spector Pro, Eblaster, WinWhatWhere, XPCSpy, Desktop Surveillance Personal Edition monitor your activities completely invisibly. They note not only every key pressed, but every website visit, e-mail or ICQ message. They take screenshots and send them along with other reports to a remote computer - all without your knowledge. Everything that you do on the computer is recorded and transmitted to the unknown Alex.
Revealing invisible
It is surprising and sad how many companies live with human suspicion. Even more sad is that the products of these companies - observer programs - are not so easy to recognize and remove. Many of these utilities are very well disguised as "legal" applications and processes. Existing software tools to combat them do not always give the desired effect. None of the well-known anti-spyware programs, such as 1Ad-aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, PestPatrol and Spy Sweeper, recognize and destroy 100% of "outsiders". It remains to rely on a logical consideration: the more anti-spyware tools are used, the higher the chances of success. It is recommended to install at least Ad-aware and Spybot on a computer connected to the Internet; PestPatrol and Spy Sweeper can be installed for greater assurance.
If you suspect that a keyboard and mouse scanner is installed on your computer, you can try to bring the program out of the "invisible" mode and uninstall it. Most programs detect themselves by key combinations - for example, for Spector Pro, it works
When all programs are closed, press
There are other ways to detect hidden programs. One such method is described on the website of X Software, the manufacturer of spyware: To get XPCSpy out of invisible mode, choose Start> Run, type rx in the Open field, and click OK.
If you find that a "spy" is active on the system, you most likely will not be able to access its settings, since most of these programs are password protected. But at least you will know that some Big Brother is trying to follow you. Of course, you will not like the fact that your actions are recorded and even less that someone is spying on you. However, the employer has the right to install tracking systems on his equipment (see also "Software Monitoring", K + P No. 10/2003). Therefore, a statement that you do not like the presence of such a program on your work computer, much less an attempt to disable it, may not be in your interests. Before you do anything, please read your rights and, in particular, the content of the contract concluded with the employer.
Tracking Protection in Firefox
If the computer belongs to you or a member of your family, the situation becomes even more delicate ...
In any case, disabling the scanner software will alert its owner that you know everything. If you try to get rid of the "spy trick", but find that it is protected by a password that prevents the uninstaller from starting, you can try to delete the program files if you know what they are called and where they are. For a large list of keyboard scanners, both commercial and free, visit the PestPatrol website. There you will also find instructions on how to remove and disable them.
If, after trying different options, you still can't get rid of the scanner, the last resort is to save all data, format the hard drive, and reinstall the operating system and applications.
To prevent unwanted software from being installed on your computer, it is best to use a strongly registered operating system such as Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Linux (Windows 98 and Me registration protocols are freer). Find good passwords for all your user accounts - and ones you've never used before.
Firewalls again
So, spyware comes in two ways: from people - strict bosses, a jealous wife, vigilant parents, smart kids - or from the Internet. In the first case, it is probably best to rely on diplomacy: after all, good relations are often the most important thing. But in the second case, obviously, curiosity should say a resolute "no!" and block it in the form of hardware and software firewalls.
Antispyware
The software listed below can detect at least some commercial scanners.
Spam should go unanswered
Many spammers use letters demanding notification of receipt to confirm that their emails are getting to living people. For his part, the recipient's best reaction to spam is no reaction - as if he has forgotten this address for a long time and does not read the mail, which means that sending it is pointless.
Therefore, it is better to disable the confirmation of receipt of messages function in the mail client, if it is enabled by default. To do this, in Outlook 2000 and 2003, select Tools> Options, go to the Preferences tab, open E-Mail Options> Tracking Options, enable Never send a response mode, and click on the OK button.
In Outlook Express, select Tools> Options> Receipts, enable Never send a read receipt, and click OK. In Mozilla and Netscape Mail, select Edit> Preferences, open the Category window under Mail & Newsgroups> Return Receipts, enable Never send a return receipt and click OK.
Keep your operating system up to date. The easiest way for hackers to track your actions is by using malicious software (viruses). By updating your Operating System (OS), you are keeping the latest critical security updates to prevent viruses from running on your computer.
Update your programs. New versions of programs usually improve the work with the application and add new functions. But not only that: it is also a way to correct mistakes. There are different types of errors: errors of the visual part of the program, errors of the program provision, and others can be remotely and automatically used by hackers to gain access to your computer. No errors, no attacks from remote servers.
Update your antivirus and keep it enabled. If the anti-virus database is out of date, then some viruses can slip through. If your antivirus is turned off and the system is not checked regularly, then you had better remove the antivirus program. Antivirus programs scan for viruses, spyware, rootkits, and worms.
Do not use multiple anti-virus programs at the same time. Antivirus, more often than not, behaves aggressively in order to function properly. In the best case, one of your antiviruses will mistake the other for a false alarm. In the worst case, both antiviruses will fail to work correctly. If you want to use several antiviruses, then update the program database, unplug the network cable, disable the main antivirus program and enable the second antivirus in "on demand" mode. After that, turn on your basic antivirus program and use your computer as before. Malwarebytes won't be a bad addition to your first layer of virus protection.
Never download anything from unofficial sites (any operating system) or trusted repositories (Linux / BSD / MacOS). For example, if you want to download VLC media player, then download it from the official site (search in a search engine and find: www.videolan.org/vlc/). Do not use links on unofficial sites, even if your antivirus is silent.
If you can, have a look at e-signatures (see the wiki article as well). Essentially, the idea is to find out the signature of the file (the program's installer). This signature is issued on the official website or from a trusted database. While downloading the file, you can see its signature and compare it with the signature on the official website: if they agree, then you downloaded the correct installer. If not, then most likely you downloaded a spoofed installer or something went wrong during the download (in any case, download the file again to verify its authenticity). This process is automatic on most Linux and * BSDs using the package manager, no additional steps required. Using Windows, you will have to check this manually.
Use a firewall. There are two great firewalls under Linux / * BSD (netfilter / iptables and pf, respectively). Under MS Windows you will have to find one of these programs. You must understand that a firewall is like a sub at the center of a huge train station with trains (network data), platforms (ports) and roadways (streams). The train cannot unload itself: it needs someone for this (a program that runs on a specific port). Let me remind you: a firewall is not a wall or a gate, it is a sub. Remember, you cannot control outgoing connections (only if everything is blocked and the network cable is pulled out), but you can document them. If you have access to the standard firewall software (netfilter / iptables and PF), log unexpected outgoing traffic and block all incoming connections except for established and trusted connections.
If your firewall is not enabled, use it for logs. You will not be able to block incoming connections in the correct way. Try not to include filters on applications: this is ineffective and gives false confidence in security.
Check running services. If your computer is not a server, then some of the services you do not need and may be disabled (be careful: most Windows / Linux / MacOS / BSD services are important for the system to function properly). If possible, disable unnecessary services and block any traffic on the appropriate ports in your firewall (for example, if the NetBios service uses ports 135 and 138, then you can block all inbound and outbound traffic on those ports if you are not using Windows shares). Please remember: bugs in services are an open gateway for hackers to your computer. You can try port scanning programs like nmap to see which ports you need to close or which services to disable.
Do not use an account with administrator rights: this can be done in Windows Vista and Seven, but if you are using an account with administrator rights, viruses may request these privileges in order to work. If you are not an administrator, then viruses must be much smarter in order to successfully operate on your system. The biggest thing that can happen is that a virus can track information about you, but not about other users. During such access, the virus will not be able to use your resources completely, so it is much easier to remove it.
If you don't play games or use rare software, go for Linux. At the moment, only a few viruses are known to run under Linux. And they were fixed a long time ago - all thanks to security updates. Programs are downloaded from trusted repositories. You don't need antivirus software, and there are plenty of free, open source software of good quality (firefox, chrome, inkscape, gimp, pidgin, openoffice, filezilla, ffmpeg, ghostscript, xchat, and many others).
