I was browsing a site about CBD products when I encountered a 'Are you a robot?' pop-up. I clicked on it thinking it would help me access the site, but I then started getting fake virus notifications from my Linux Mint. These notifications stopped when I closed Zen browser but came back as soon as I reopened it. I discovered that deleting a cookie got rid of those notifications. However, I accidentally clicked on a fake virus alert that led me back to the 'Are you a robot?' pop-up. Now I'm feeling uneasy, wondering if there's malware or a virus on my system, especially since I scanned my whole computer with 'sudo clamscan -r /' but didn't get any virus reports. I checked the /var/log/clamav directory, but all I see is that everything is up to date., which doesn't seem like a virus report. Any advice?
2 Answers
Good news: you're using Linux, so you likely don't have a traditional virus. Linux is generally safer from malware. However, don't let your guard down! Some malware does exist for Linux, even if it's less common. Always stay cautious!
It sounds like the issue came from a website you visited that managed to push a notification onto your browser. As long as it only affects your browser and you didn't download anything suspicious, you should be okay. Just make sure to revoke that notification permission in your browser settings.
I agree with the sentiment, but it's risky to think you're completely safe just because you're on Linux. There are threats like Lockbit and others that can affect Linux systems too, so keep your software updated and maintain good security practices.