Answer by NOYB for Do I need to have antivirus software installed?

All software platforms need virus protection. However the majority of viruses are written for Windows and will not affect Linux. However, there is till the potential of cross-platform type viruses (Flash, Java PDF, etc) that can still do some damage on any system. Also, Linux can be a "carrier" and still spread viruses by e-mail or flash memories without you knowing about it because it had no effect on you. Therefore, I recommend installing Clam (Gnome) or Klam (KDE). This does not run in the background and needs to be updated and run manually about every week or so.