Will my linux become vulnerable to virus threats by installing wine software?

[Siddarth777]

WINE(windows program loader) is the software for running windows programs in linux platform

my doubt is by installing such a kind of software will my ubuntu become vulnerable to viruses (.exe files) because it is used to execute windows .exe files

so will my ubuntu also gets affected?

please help
thanks in advance

[sicarie]

It's doubtful they would be vulnerable to Windows viruses as Windows viruses are written to exploit specific functions of the Windows OS, where WINE only duplicates some of the functionality of Windows (not the OS itself).

Linux does have viruses, however, and it's a good idea to keep an AntiVirus program installed even on a Linux box.

::Update:: it looks like some viruses are built well enough to mess up wine, but not affect the underlying Linux OS, however most won't run (from my Google research).

[Siddarth777]

sicarie:
thanks a lot for replying:) .........but is it that easy for any virus specific to windows environment or linux environment,Is it malicious enough to cause a security breach in linux?
because linux has even got several authorization steps needed to enter any program into system

only unless you screw your system deliberately .......i think that it any virus from any environment can affect linux

am i right or am i wrong at anywhere
pl tell me

[sicarie]

A virus written for Windows will not function in Linux, and vice-versa. The exploits to gain access and the systems files/calls made to do simple tasks are radically different.

A virus written specifically for WINE, however, may be able to do damage as it's written for a Linux distribution. That would be considered a 'Linux virus' even though it was programmed to exploit WINE. It would attack the Linux files to gain escalated access.

[Siddarth777]

thanks a lot for replying:)
Even if any virus specific for WINE can damage linux?
but linux wont open a gateway for malicious code to enter into the system..is that right?

[sicarie]

A Linux virus will cause the system to behave in whatever fashion is programmed into the virus - which could cause opening of ports or creation of tunnels. It would, however, NOT allow a Windows virus to do so.

[numberwhun]

It all comes down to how the two operating systems were designed, as @sicarie was trying to explain.

With Windows, the reason it is so incredibly easy for people to write virus', is because there were now administrative separation of access to the registry. ALl users could edit the registry and it is like that today.

On Linux, there is a root account. Yes, root is god, but first you have to gain root access. Without it, you cannot access the files on the system that could do the most damage. The permissions structure on Linux/Unix is what makes it drastically different.

Even if you have a virus written on windows and yes, wine allows you to run it on linux, it won't get anywhere because the virus' (as sicarie said) cannot run on Linux, even with wine.

Besides, how many virus' do you know of for Linux? Its so incredibly entailed and difficult to write one that people don't bother. You get greater numbers of effected machines attacking windows and that's why they write virus' for it.