Am I at Risk of Viruses on Linux from a Sketchy Wallpaper Site?

Thanks for the reassurance! I really appreciate it. Just one last question – what if those strange tabs did load?

It's highly unlikely you've picked up any malware. Many wallpaper sites use aggressive ad networks that can trigger random pop-ups or tabs due to redirects, but that's just part of the online ads – not a problem with your system itself. If you're really concerned, make sure your system and Firefox are up to date and consider using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin to prevent similar issues in the future.

Stuff that runs in a web browser is usually sandboxed, so it can't escape that environment unless there's a serious security flaw. To avoid annoying pop-ups, definitely install an ad blocker extension in Firefox. You can do this through the Extras > Extensions menu. I recommend uBlock Origin and also the NoScript extension if you want more control.

I doubt you have a virus, but if you want to be extra sure, you can check your system by installing ClamAV and running a scan.