Antivirus programs

Antivirus programs do not appear to be necessary for TwinCAT/BSD and UNIX systems in general, because malicious software for UNIX systems tends to be rare. Viruses for Unix systems are still very rare. The main reason for this is the less widespread use of the systems compared to Windows and Mac OS.

In addition, there is a clear separation of user accounts and their rights. Under TwinCAT/BSD, even the Administrator user must obtain root rights for changing system-relevant files and executing programs by entering a password. Scripts must be made executable before they can be run at all. An accidentally downloaded virus can initially only infect the files of the logged-in user. Spreading over the system is not easily possible due to the strict rights management.

However, security holes must be closed by regular updates. Due to the large open source community, security holes are usually quickly identified and closed. The updates are then available via the Beckhoff Package Server preset in each system.

There are antivirus programs for Unix systems, but they are mainly useful for mail or file servers that can also be used by Windows clients. Of course, an antivirus program can also be used to add another security level to the system. For TwinCAT/BSD, the free Linux antivirus program Clam Antivirus is available in addition to some proprietary applications. Note that this program falls under the GPL license and is subject to its terms.