How to install ClamTK Virus Scanner in Ubuntu

Start Synaptic and search for clamtk. Put a check alongside the clamtk entry in the results, and click Mark for Installation in the menu that appears. Agree to install the list of dependencies, that includes ClamAV itself, and then click the APPLY button on the toolbar.

When ClamTK is run for the first time it's necessary to update the virus database. In future this will be done automatically and periodically in the background, without any need for user intervention.

To manually update the database, ClamTK needs to run as root user, so open a terminal window (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and type the following:

gksu clamtk

Click Help > Update Signatures. Once ClamTK reports the signatures are up to date, close the program window.

TIP: You can update the virus database at the command‐line by typing sudo freshclam. Don't worry if, while doing this, you see a warning that ClamAV is out‐of‐date - this simply means that the version offered in the Ubuntu repositories is lagging a little behind the main releases. This is not an issue.

Tags: ClamTK,virus scanner,synaptic

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