Traditional claims are that Linux is immune to virus and malware attacks. I've long held that this is simply a matter of Linux not being a big enough target to bother with, ditto the Mac.

With the rise of Android to the dominant operating system in mobility, Linux, which Android is, has finally become prominent. And sure enough, the virus attacks are now a serious problem. My wife got her Droid Razr infected, and turned into a spam server. I've since added AVG to her phone. But the idea that Linux is safe is a myth that we can no longer live under. Cracking Android means that Ubuntu and Mint are also open to attack, with slight modifications of the code.

IOS is even worse, with rampant viruses infecting those devices through blue tooth, thanks to the social sharing extensions.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-575...lware-victims/