21 new malware families hit the Linux ecosystem

• A slew of new Linux malware families, all based on malicious versions of OpenSSH clients, were discovered by ESET.
• Out of the 21 families analyzed, 12 were undocumented.
• The new malware families possess sophisticated features like keylogging and backdoor capabilities.

Historically, Linux has proved to be a more secure operating system when compared to the more widely used Windows. This is due to Linux’s more secure implementation of user privileges, a more tech-savvy userbase, and other such factors. However, this does not make it completely free of vulnerabilities.

The number of threats targeting the Linux ecosystem is still quite insignificant when compared to Windows, despite the emergence of some malware families aimed at Linux-based systems in the last decade.

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