this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2025
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Not in the way you're probably thinking, which I assume is like in a Windows-y kind of way.
Finding an exploitable escalation of privileges in Linux is rare, but unpatched machines get hacked all the time, but the world of worms, and such is kind of gone.
The way most end-user machines get compromised these days is by supply chain attacks, undiscovered zero-day exploits, user error, and social engineering. Groups that discover zero-days usually keep it close the vest, and they don't get found for long periods of time after they've been out in the wild.
The way most corporate machines get attacked is social engineering, supply chain, and zero-days. Mostly crypto mining schemes and enterprise-level ransoms for data.
All the Windows botnets you hear about out there are largely unpatched machines exposed to the internet in various stupid ways that groups prey on to take control of.
Edit: Forgot about leaked secrets. Lots of companies get hit from plaintext secrets that get out in the wild via various stupid means.
Malware targeting individuals rather than servers do not need privilege escalation. They just need to run as the user and swipe cookies/credentials/wallets etc. Privilege escalation would allow them to do catastrophic damage but that's not the point in that case.