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(autistics.life)

submitted 23 hours ago by Uair@autistics.life to c/linux@programming.dev

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@linux

Hello all! I recently got an old Dell laptop that had been repurposed as a Linux Mint machine. I was setting it up and fell at the first hurdle.

I tried to install ExpressVPN. The install package downloaded fine, but took two hours to extract and failed for "bad characters". I fiddled with it for a while and couldn't do better.

First, it's the VPN software for Linux desktop, since they didn't have one for laptops. Could this be the problem?

Second, do I really need a VPN if I don't torrent stuff? I just think of a VPN as a basic part of my security, but I don't really know.

And, third, speaking of basic security: do I need an antivirus on this?

Thanks for any help!

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[–] bardmoss@autistics.life 4 points 20 hours ago

@Uair @linux
Do your last question, no you don't need an antivirus. 99.9% of viruses are still being written for Windows machines because it's just a larger attack vector. On a Lenox machine you would not give the thing permission to run, and even if you did, it's a .exe file that won't run anyhow. The main reason for running antivirus on Linux is if you share files with other Windows users, you might get a file in that has a Windows virus that you would then pass on to your friend without even knowing about it.