The Best Linux Antivirus Software Products in 2024

• Web Protection – Linux might be a relatively secure operating system, but you’re still susceptible to phishing attacks and online scams. To protect you, Nord notifies you if a site has been flagged as malicious, so you can make sure to avoid it. For Windows and Mac computers, the Threat Protection package also automatically scans files as you’re downloading them and eliminates threats. With Linux, you’ll need to be connected to NordVPN to use the security tools.
• VPN – Of course, having access to NordVPN’s industry-leading virtual private network (VPN) service is a substantial bonus. It allows you to use the internet securely and anonymously and offers fast connections with a huge, global server network.
• Additional Security Features – Beyond this, the Nord security package offers a range of additional features, including a password manager, a data breach monitor, encrypted storage, and significant amounts of identity theft coverage.

NordVPN’s Plus and Ultimate plans start at $3.99/month with a two-year plan and include a password manager and data breach monitoring, allowing you to store strong, unique passwords and respond quickly if your details are leaked online.

Upgrading to the top-tier Ultimate plan gets you 1TB of encrypted cloud storage, $1m identity theft cover, and $100,000 cyber extortion protection. I believe that these features more than make up for any limitations of Threat Protection Lite’s core security features.

NordVPN Threat Protection is a great security package, offering browser protection, dark web monitoring, and encrypted storage as well as a first-class VPN. It’s one of the best home security options for Linux desktop users.

• Business Security Plans – GravityZone Small Business Security starts at $20.99/year for a single device – or $45.49 for three years – and scales to 100 devices. It offers complete antivirus protection against malware, adware, ransomware, and other web attacks. There’s a single console for ease of use, and add-ons can be acquired as needed.
• Real-Time Malware Detection – The software works to stop exploits in real time and mitigate against fileless attacks attempting to write directly to memory. To assist this, Bitdefender blocks malicious traffic and analyzes the memory buffer prior to code injection, stopping the process if threats are detected.
• Ransomware and Phishing Protection – There are also anti-ransomware features included to create backups of files in real time, preventing hackers from encrypting and destroying them. The product automatically blocks known phishing web pages, meanwhile, to keep users safe from fraud attempts and hacking exploits.

Bitdefender’s plans scale up to GravityZone Business Security Enterprise. There are also Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Security for Containers products – all of which support Linux.

Bitdefender is a supremely flexible business antivirus for Linux. It’s actually even more flexible than ESET, though it is a little more expensive. Having anti-ransomware and anti-phishing features is an added bonus, and it’s an antivirus provider that’ll consistently show up on any top 10 antivirus for Linux list.

• Network Protection – Trend Micro ServerProtect allows for the central management of scanning, threat assessments, and policy deployment. It also comes with automatic updates, so there are minimal maintenance requirements.
• Web Console – The service is managed via an intuitive web console and can scan, identify, and remove malware, viruses, and spyware with real-time, on-demand, and scheduled scanning options.
• Scanning and Reports – Admins can be kept up-to-date on events by email or SNMP traps, and scans can be configured to minimize system performance impact, with kernel-level scanning limiting performance degradation.

Trend Micro ServerProtect for Linux comes with a free trial so you can roadtest the software on your systems, though its pricing isn’t public.

The Trend Vision One enterprise security solution can also be deployed to Linux endpoints. Trend Micro doesn’t provide Linux support for either its consumer or small business options, though, unlike other providers like ESET and Nord.

Trend Micro ServerProtect is ideal for protecting Linux servers, so you can ensure your network is secure. The software is certified by major Linux vendors and has been independently tested – and it’s proven to be stable and reliable.

• Machine Learning-Powered Protection – ESET’s starter business plan, ESET Protect Entry, offers multilayered, machine learning-powered protection using the company’s LiveSense technology. It supports desktops, mobile devices, and file servers, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, plus Ubuntu Desktop and RedHat Enterprise Linux. You can protect from five to 100 devices with the Entry package.
• Usability – Installation is available via cloud or on-premises deployment, giving you transparency and flexibility. The platform is easy to use and includes a unified console. You can get started quickly, and there are minimal maintenance requirements.
• Advanced Security Features – Upgrading to ESET Protect Elite gets you full disk encryption, cloud app protection, mail security, vulnerability and patch management, and advanced threat defenses, powered by machine learning and sandbox analysis.
• Proactive Threat Detection and Enterprise Tools – There’s also proactive threat detection from ESET Inspect, a cloud-based tool that enables rapid incident response. Beyond this, there are the ESET Protect Enterprise and ESET Protect MDR packages, with the latter offering a Managed Detection and Response service, premium support, and deployment assistance.

ESET offers a range of business plans that support Linux. As standard, the plans cover from five to 100 devices, and prices fall per device as you add more devices and subscribe for longer periods, up to a cap of three years.

ESET is a great option for businesses securing Linux systems. It provides more security features than Nord Threat Protection Lite but is a better fit for smaller firms than Trend Micro’s packages, which are geared toward enterprise businesses. Its biggest shortcoming is that it no longer supports home Linux plans.

• Real-Time Protection – The Avast Business Antivirus for Linux product is updated continuously and in real time, ensuring you’re protected against novel cyber threats. It can also identify and remove malware on dual-booted systems that use other operating systems.
• Scan Reports – You get comprehensive scan results with the Avast antivirus platform, and you’ll be able to review the results of each scan line by line so you can check for exclusions and scan failures.
• Network Security – Another reason to opt for Avast if you’re running a Linux-based system is the Fire Server Shield. This security feature enables you to scan files written on any of your mount points so you can keep your network secure.

Avast offers a specialized Linux business plan – Avast Business Antivirus for Linux. You can get significant discounts if you commit to a two- or three-year subscription, with the latter saving you up to $100 per device per year.

You can add up to 999 devices on the Business Antivirus for Linux plan, but it’s geared toward smaller businesses and doesn’t have ESET’s scalability.

Avast is a great option for small businesses and offers support for a number of Linux distributions. It’s a reliable solution and can help ensure your network remains secure.