How To Install ClamAV on Fedora 39

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install ClamAV on Fedora 39. ClamAV is an open-source antivirus toolkit, designed especially for email scanning on mail gateways. It provides a number of utilities including a flexible and scalable multi-threaded daemon, a command line scanner, and an advanced tool for automatic database updates. The core of the package is an antivirus engine available in the form of a shared library.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the ClamAV antivirus toolkit on a Fedora 39.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the installation process, let’s ensure that you have everything you need:

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Fedora 39.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• You will need access to the terminal to execute commands. Fedora 39 provides the Terminal application for this purpose. It can be found in your Applications menu.
• A network connection or internet access to download the ClamAV packages.
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install ClamAV on Fedora 39

Step 1. Before installing ClamAV, it’s recommended to update the system’s package database. This ensures that you have the latest versions of all packages and their dependencies. Use the following command to update your system:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf update

Step 2. Installing ClamAV on Fedora 39.

Next, use the DNF package manager to install ClamAV. The following command will install both ClamAV and its automatic updater:

sudo dnf install clamav clamav-update

After installing ClamAV, it’s crucial to update the virus databases. This ensures that ClamAV uses the latest virus signatures for scanning. Use the following command to update the virus databases:

sudo freshclam

This command will download the latest virus databases from ClamAV’s servers.

Step 3. Using ClamAV for Scanning.

ClamAV comes with a command-line scanning tool called clamscan. This tool uses the ClamAV library to scan files and/or directories for viruses.

• Basic Scanning:

To scan a specific file, pass the file path as an argument to the clamscan command:

clamscan /path/to/your/file

To scan a directory, use the --recursive or -r option, which tells ClamAV to scan the directory recursively:

clamscan --recursive /path/to/your/directory

• Removing Infected Files:

By default, clamscan only reports the infected files. If you want ClamAV to automatically remove the infected files, use the --remove option:

clamscan --remove --recursive /path/to/your/directory

This command will scan the specified directory recursively and remove any infected files it finds.

Step 4. Troubleshooting Tips.

If you encounter issues while using ClamAV, consider the following troubleshooting tips:

• Monitor ClamAV log files: Check the ClamAV log files located in /var/log/clamav for any issues or potential threats.
• Check the ClamAV mailing lists and forums: Stay updated with any news, updates, or known issues by checking the ClamAV mailing lists and forums.
• Review and update your ClamAV settings: Periodically review and update your ClamAV settings to match your system’s needs and requirements.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed ClamAV. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing ClamAV antivirus on your Fedora 39 system. For additional or useful information, we recommend you check the official ClamAV website.