Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET key takeaways Linux doesn’t usually require antivirus.If you share files, you should consider using one.For scanning files and directories, ClamAV is your best bet.I’ve said many times over the years that Linux does not need antivirus software. That, of course, assumes you compute in a bubble. If you happen to share files with others, that’s another story altogether. Sharing files with Windows users without vetting them could land those other users in trouble — of a malicious kind.Imagine that you’ve unwittingly downloaded a file from some dark spot on the web. You don’t check it for malicious code, but you send it on to 50 users anyway. Some of those 50 users then send the same file on to others, which could wind up a vast web of trouble. Had you scanned that file before sending it, you might have known it contained malicious code and would have deleted it immediately.Also: Thinking about switching to Linux? 10 things you need to knowIf your operating system is Linux, what would you use for scanning that file? Your best option is ClamAV.What is ClamAVClamAV is an open-source antivirus tool for detecting Trojans, viruses, and other types of malware. ClamAV is a toolkit for email scanning, web scanning, and endpoint security. You’ll find versions of ClamAV for Linux, MacOS, and Windows, as well as both command-line and GUI options. While ClamAV is very versatile and useful, the one caveat for this security tool is that it does not feature real-time scanning. Instead, ClamAV is all about on-demand scanning, which means you use it manually (whether from the command line or the GUI). That’s not to say ClamAV doesn’t do real-time scanning, because it does. With the help of clamonacc, ClamAV enjoys “on-access” antivirus scanning, which is handled by intercepting file access events and then submitting those events to the clamd daemon for analysis. The clamonacc component works as part of the ClamAV suite to provide real-time malware protection for Linux systems by scanning files as they are created, accessed, or modified. Like with any antivirus tool on Windows, using the real-time feature does consume system resources, so keep that in mind. As far as features are concerned, ClamAV includes: Threat detection: ClamAV detects viruses, worms, Trojans, and other malware.Real-time protection: ClamAV provides on-access scanning through a daemon client.Multi-threaded daemon: ClamAV includes a scalable and flexible daemon for running scans.Command-line scanner: ClamAV has a command-line interface for on-demand scanning, as well as a GUI.Automated database updates: ClamAV includes an advanced and automated tool to keep virus definitions current using freshclam. How to install ClamAV Let’s install ClamAV on an Ubuntu-based distribution. It’s really easy. Also: Want to save your old computer? Try these 5 Linux distributions More