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On 14/09/17 16:45, Neil wrote: >> > Thanks for that. But I am still wondering. If I,for whatever reason, > download some malware aimed at Windows, will my Linux computer ignore it > or at least fail when it tries to run it? Generally speaking, you are safe from Windows specific nasties on a Linux system unless you install Wine and go to some extraordinary measures. No system is without vulnerabilities though, and Linux does share many of the same attack surfaces (through necessity really - you have to draw the line somewhere between security and usability after all). For example, your Linux distro almost certainly has a thumbnail parser that proactively scans the files on your system as you load them in a file viewer - it's what generates the little icons with previews of the pictures and so on. That very parsing activity is necessarily open to potential exploitation though, and is similar to what probably happened to your friend on the compromised Windows computer. Her mail program "helpfully" automatically parsed and/or executed some kind of malicious content that it arguably shouldn't have. Stuff like this is happening in the background pretty much constantly on any modern operating system, and that definitely includes Linux. Very recently we had this: http://thehackernews.com/2017/07/linux-gnome-vulnerability.html So don't be complacent but as long as you keep all your stuff religiously up to date, don't go asking for trouble and mostly just use your common sense pretty much anyone can stay in one piece, even on the modern internet. Cheers -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG https://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq