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ClamTk
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| ClamTk | |
|---|---|
 | |
 ClamTk 6.18 running on openSUSE | |
| Original author | Dave Mauroni |
| Developer | Dave Mauroni |
| Initial release | February 2004 |
| Final release | 6.18
/ January 27, 2024[1] |
| Repository | |
| Written in | Perl |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | Antivirus software |
| License | GNU General Public License/Artistic License |
| Website | gitlab |
ClamTk is a free and open-source graphical interface for the ClamAV command-line antivirus software program for Linux desktop users. It provides both on-demand and scheduled scanning. The project was started by Dave Mauroni in February 2004.[2][3][4] As of April 2024, the program is no longer maintained.[5]
ClamTk was originally written using the Tk widget toolkit, for which it is named, but it was later re-written in Perl, using the GTK toolkit. The interface has evolved considerably over time and recent versions are quite different than early releases, adding features and changing the interface presentation. It is dual-licensed under the GNU General Public License version 1 or later, and the Artistic License.[2][6][7][8]
Features
[edit]
The ClamTk interface allows scanning of single files or directories. It can be configured for recursive scans, scanning all sub-directories, for whitelists, to scan for potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), to exclude hidden files, or large files over 20 MB. In 2017 GHacks reviewer Mike Turcotte-McCusker noted the high rate of false positives that the PUA-inclusive scans return.[9][10][3][11][4]
The history selection allows reviewing the results of previous scans and quarantined files. ClamTk allows manual or automatic updates to be configured for ClamAV's virus definitions.[9][3][12][13]
The application interfaces with thunar-sendto-clamtk, nemo-sendto-clamtk, clamtk-gnome and clamtk-kde, each of which provide context menu functionality for the associated file managers, Thunar, Nemo, GNOME Files and Dolphin, allowing users to directly send files to ClamTk for scanning.[2][4]
ClamTk can also be run from the command-line interface, although the main reason that command line access exists was for interface with the various file managers.[14]
Use
[edit]ClamTk is included in the repositories of many Linux distributions, including ALT Linux, Arch Linux, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Linux Mint, Mandriva, openSUSE, PCLinuxOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, as well as FreeBSD.[3][15][16]
Most users install ClamTk from the repositories of the Linux distribution that they are using, but the application's website, also provided downloads for the latest release versions, in the form of .rpm and .deb files.[17][18]
Reception
[edit]A 2014 review of ClamTk 5.0.7 by Silviu Stahie of Softpedia recommended the application as a means of getting ClamAV functionality in an easy-to-use graphical interface. He wrote, "basically, all functions of ClamTK can be performed in a terminal with ClamAV. That would be fine if you had no desktop environment, like on a server, but there is no reason to use the terminal in a regular Linux distribution."[10]
A 2015 review by Bill Toulas on the How To Forge noted that ClamTk seemed to take a comparable amount of time to scan compared to ClamAV, indicating that it wasn't slowing the scanning engine down.[19]
A 2017 review in Linux and Ubuntu said, "ClamTK provides a very simple GUI that allows beginners who are not most comfortable to use CLI. Upon launching ClamTk, you will be presented with a clean GUI with 4 main sections."[9]
In Ubuntu Pit's listing of the Best Linux Antivirus: Top 10 Reviewed and Compared, ClamTk was recommended for average users and described as "lightweight".[7]
A 2019 review in Make Tech Easier included ClamTk in its review of The Best Antivirus Programs for Ubuntu. They reported, "If you need a good virus scanner, and you’re not a fan of the command line, ClamTk is the best choice."[20]
A review by Derrik Diener of Additive Tips in 2019 stated, "... if you like the features of the ClamAV tool, but dislike dealing with the command-line, you’ll get the same useful features in a nice, easy-to-use interface ... ClamTK takes all of the advanced ClamAV features from the command-line and wraps it up in an incredibly simple user interface that the average Linux user can use."[4]
See also
[edit]
- List of antivirus software
- ClamWin - a graphical interface for ClamAV for Microsoft Windows
References
[edit]- ^ "ClamTk 6.14 Releases". Github. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Mauroni, Dave. "clamtk". gitlab.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Download ClamTk Linux 6.00". softpedia. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Best Antivirus for Linux in 2019 Review". addictivetips.com. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Dave, Mauroni. "No longer maintained (#144) · Issues · Dave M / clamtk · GitLab". Dave M / clamtk · GitLab. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Mauroni, Dave (October 2008). "ClamTk README". Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Best Linux Antivirus: Top 10 Reviewed and Compared". ubuntupit.com. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "ClamTk 5.00 released, Install it in Ubuntu & Linux Mint - UbuntuHandbook". ubuntuhandbook.org. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Sandy (29 January 2017). "ClamAV Antivirus Scanner For Linux (Review + Installation + Usage)". linuxandubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ a b Stahie, Silviu. "ClamTK 5.0.7 Review – An Anti-Virus for Linux". softpedia. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "How to install ClamAV with Clamtk UI in GNU/Linux - gHacks Tech News". Ghacks Technology News. 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Installing ClamTk". clamtk.sourceforge.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ SL, Uptodown Technologies. "ClamTk 4.38 for Ubuntu - Download". clamtk.en.uptodown.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Mauroni, Dave (February 2019). "Commandline". gitlab.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "Linux Mint - Community". community.linuxmint.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "ClamAV - Community Help Wiki". help.ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Shusain (12 September 2018). "How to install ClamAV (Antivirus) & ClamTK on Linux". LinuxTechLab. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Mauroni, Dave (April 2019). "Downloads". gitlab.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "How to scan for viruses with ClamAV on Ubuntu". HowtoForge. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ MTE Staff (5 April 2019). "The Best Antivirus Programs for Ubuntu". Make Tech Easier. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to ClamTk.
ClamTk
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
clamtk file_to_be_scanned.[1]
Originally hosted on platforms like SourceForge and Google Code before migrating to GitHub and GitLab, ClamTk remained actively developed for over 20 years, serving as a popular choice for Linux desktop users seeking a straightforward antivirus solution without real-time monitoring.[2] It is available through various Linux distribution repositories, including Arch Linux, Gentoo, and as a Flatpak on Flathub, ensuring broad compatibility across desktop environments.[3][4][5] However, on March 30, 2024, the project was officially announced as unmaintained due to challenges including code quality issues, performance problems like slow signature loading and crashes, and the developer's personal circumstances, including a 2022 accident.[6] Despite this, ClamTk continues to be distributed and used, though users are advised to consider alternatives for ongoing security needs, as it relies on the separately maintained ClamAV engine for virus definitions.[6]
History and Development
Origins
ClamTk was initiated in 2003 by Dave Mauroni as a graphical user interface (GUI) frontend for the command-line ClamAV antivirus engine, specifically targeting Linux desktop users who lacked expertise in command-line operations. This development addressed the gap in accessible malware scanning tools for non-server Unix-like systems, where ClamAV's primary focus on server-side applications like email gateways left desktop users reliant on complex terminal commands. Mauroni's project aimed to simplify virus detection and quarantine processes, making antivirus functionality approachable for everyday Linux users without compromising the underlying engine's efficiency.[1] The first public release of ClamTk occurred in February 2004, distributed via a rootshell.be account, which allowed early adopters to download and test the tool on their systems. This distribution was driven by the growing demand for open-source antivirus solutions that extended ClamAV's capabilities beyond enterprise environments to personal computing. Conceived as a lightweight, on-demand scanner, ClamTk complemented ClamAV's server-oriented origins by emphasizing ease of use and minimal resource consumption for ad-hoc scans rather than continuous monitoring.[1] In its initial iterations, ClamTk employed the Tk toolkit to build a simple, cross-platform interface, a choice that aligned with its goal of rapid development and broad compatibility. By 2005, Mauroni transitioned the project to Perl integrated with the GTK2 library, enhancing visual consistency and native feel within popular Linux desktop environments like GNOME, while retaining the core Perl scripting for backend operations. This evolution underscored ClamTk's commitment to refining usability without altering its foundational role as an accessible ClamAV wrapper.[1]Evolution and Releases
ClamTk's repositories underwent several migrations to support broader distribution and collaboration. Initially hosted on rootshell.be starting in 2004, the project moved to SourceForge.net in 2005 for improved accessibility.[1] In 2013, it transitioned to Google Code, and by 2024, mirrors were established on GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket to facilitate ongoing development and community access.[1] These shifts reflected the project's evolution from a personal endeavor to a widely shared open-source tool. A significant technical rewrite occurred around 2005–2006, transitioning from the Tk widget toolkit to Perl/GTK2 to enhance cross-desktop compatibility and align with prevailing Linux graphical environments.[1] This change, led primarily by developer Dave Mauroni, enabled better integration with GTK-based desktops like GNOME, broadening its usability beyond Tk-dependent systems.[1] Key milestones in the release history highlight incremental improvements in functionality and compatibility. Version 3.08, released in February 2008, addressed numerous bugs, added Korean and Romanian language support, and updated Italian and French translations, coinciding with its synchronization into Ubuntu's repositories for easier distribution on that platform.[7] Version 5.27, issued in early 2019, updated options for compatibility with ClamAV 0.101.0 and refreshed language files, including Swedish and Japanese, while enhancing quarantine handling for infected files.[8] Version 6.16, released on June 2, 2023, introduced a privacy warning for VirusTotal uploads (allowing hash-only submissions), building on the VirusTotal integration added around version 5.00. The final release, version 6.18 on January 26, 2024, fixed issues like log visibility for scanned directories.[9] Spanning over 20 years of public availability since its 2004 debut, ClamTk received steady updates driven by open-source community contributions, focusing on reliability and adaptation to evolving antivirus needs until its 2024 culmination.[1]Licensing and Maintenance
ClamTk is released under a dual licensing model, comprising the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 1 or later and the Artistic License, which permits flexible usage in both commercial and non-commercial environments.[10] The project's primary repository is hosted on GitLab at gitlab.com/dave_m/clamtk, with official mirrors maintained on GitHub at github.com/dave-theunsub/clamtk and Launchpad at launchpad.net/clamtk.[11][1][12] On March 30, 2024, lead developer Dave Mauroni announced the end of maintenance for ClamTk through GitHub issue #163, attributing the decision to personal reasons and fatigue after over 20 years of development, with no further updates planned.[6] As a result, users are recommended to depend on ongoing updates to the underlying ClamAV engine for virus definition support, while no official forks of ClamTk have been established.Features
Scanning and Detection
ClamTk utilizes the ClamAV antivirus engine to perform on-demand and scheduled scans of individual files, directories, or entire systems, detecting viruses, trojans, and other malware through signature-based matching against its virus definition database.[2][13] Users can initiate scans via the application's interface, which supports recursive scanning of subdirectories to ensure comprehensive coverage.[14] Options include the inclusion of hidden files and directories, as well as detection of potentially unwanted applications (PUA) through configurable checkboxes for various threat categories.[15][16] To minimize false positives, ClamTk allows customization of whitelists, enabling users to exclude specific files, directories, or file types from scans, such as system folders or known safe applications.[14] Upon detection of infected files, the tool offers quarantine functionality, automatically moving threats to a secure, isolated folder (typically ~/.clamtk/quarantine) while renaming them to prevent execution, with subsequent options for permanent deletion or restoration after verification.[17] Maintaining detection efficacy requires regular updates to ClamAV's virus definitions, which ClamTk facilitates through manual commands or automated scheduling via its built-in scheduler for fetching signatures from official repositories using the freshclam tool.[18] This ensures the scanner remains current against evolving threats, with updates configurable to run periodically without user intervention.[19]User Interface and Integration
ClamTk features a graphical user interface built using Perl and the GTK library, transitioning from GTK2 in earlier versions to GTK3 in recent releases. This design provides a tabbed layout consisting of Scan, Update, Quarantine, History, and Events sections, offering an intuitive and straightforward experience tailored for non-technical users on Linux desktops. The Scan tab includes a tree-view file browser for selecting directories and files, allowing users to navigate filesystem structures efficiently before initiating scans.[1] Integration with popular file managers enhances accessibility, enabling right-click context menu options for on-demand scanning directly from within the file explorer. Plugins such as clamtk-gnome for Nautilus, thunar-sendto-clamtk for Thunar, and nemo-sendto-clamtk for Nemo facilitate this functionality, allowing users to select files or folders and trigger a ClamTk scan without launching the main application. These extensions are available as separate packages or installations, promoting seamless workflow integration in environments like GNOME, XFCE, and Cinnamon.[20][1] Users can customize the interface through preferences that adjust scan behaviors and notifications to suit individual needs. Options include setting scan depth via recursive scanning toggles, enabling alerts for potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) or hidden files, and configuring notifications for virus definition updates on startup. Log viewing is managed in the History tab, where past scans can be reviewed or deleted, while the Quarantine tab briefly references isolated files as scan outcomes for management. This modular approach ensures a user-tailored experience without overwhelming complexity.[1] The lightweight architecture of ClamTk minimizes resource consumption, making it suitable for older hardware and resource-constrained systems. As an on-demand scanner, it avoids persistent background processes, relying instead on efficient GTK rendering and Perl scripting to maintain low CPU and memory usage during operation. This design philosophy prioritizes simplicity and performance, ensuring broad compatibility across Linux distributions.[21][22]Additional Tools
ClamTk provides several extended utilities that enhance its functionality beyond core scanning capabilities, allowing users to perform secondary verifications, maintain audit trails, automate tasks, and customize detection parameters. One key additional tool is the integration with VirusTotal, which enables users to upload suspicious files for analysis by multiple antivirus engines. This feature offers secondary verification by aggregating results from over 70 security vendors, helping to confirm or refute detections made by ClamAV alone. Introduced in version 5.xx, the integration includes a privacy warning before uploading files or sending only file hashes to avoid transmitting sensitive data.[1] ClamTk maintains History and Events logs to track previous scans, detections, and user actions, providing searchable archives for auditing and review. Users can access these logs through the "History" option in the interface, where they can view details of past operations, including scanned files and outcomes, and selectively delete entries if needed. This logging supports compliance and troubleshooting by preserving a record of antivirus activities without requiring manual configuration.[1] For advanced users and automation, ClamTk supports a command-line mode via theclamtk executable, allowing scripted scans of specific files or directories. This mode facilitates integration with file managers for right-click scanning or incorporation into scripts and cron jobs, executing the same GUI-driven scans non-interactively while respecting configured options.[1][23]
ClamTk includes toggles for PUA (Potentially Unwanted Applications) detection, offering fine-grained control over sensitivity. The PUA toggle enables scanning for adware, toolbars, and other non-malicious but undesirable software, though it may increase false positives. These options are accessible in the scan settings, allowing users to adjust for environments where speed or precision is prioritized.[1][24]
Installation and Usage
Platform Compatibility
ClamTk is primarily supported on Linux operating systems and is available in the official repositories of major distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, and Gentoo.[22][10][3][4] It is also compatible with other distributions through community-maintained packages and can be installed on FreeBSD via its ports collection.[25] Installation methods include native package formats such as .deb files for Debian-based systems like Ubuntu and Debian, and .rpm files for RPM-based systems like Fedora.[26][27] Users can also compile ClamTk from source code hosted on GitHub for custom builds, or employ AppImage bundles for portable deployment across diverse Linux environments without requiring system-wide installation.[1][28] Additionally, it is available as a Flatpak on Flathub.[5] ClamTk requires the ClamAV antivirus engine as its core dependency, along with Perl for scripting and GTK+ for the graphical interface, operating under the X Window System.[2] It is tested for compatibility with common desktop environments, including GNOME, KDE, and XFCE, with optional add-on packages providing enhanced integration such as right-click scanning menus.[1] Although Linux-centric, ClamTk is adaptable to other Unix-like systems like FreeBSD due to its reliance on standard POSIX tools and libraries.[25] It does not offer native support for Windows or macOS, where users must rely on the command-line ClamAV engine without the graphical frontend.[2]Setup and Operation
ClamTk installation typically begins with setting up the underlying ClamAV engine, followed by installing the GUI frontend itself. On Debian-based distributions like Ubuntu, users can install both via the package manager with the command[sudo](/page/Sudo) apt install [clamav](/page/ClamAV) [clamtk](/page/ClamTk), which pulls in necessary dependencies such as clamav-freshclam for database updates.[29] After installation, the initial ClamAV setup requires downloading the virus signature databases by running [sudo](/page/Sudo) freshclam in the terminal, a process that fetches the latest definitions from ClamAV's servers and stores them in directories like /var/lib/clamav.[30] This step is essential before launching ClamTk, as the tool relies on these up-to-date signatures for effective scanning.[1]
Upon first launch—accessible via the applications menu (e.g., under "Accessories" or "System Tools") or by typing clamtk in the terminal—ClamTk automatically detects the ClamAV installation and prompts for signature verification if needed. Users should then configure preferences through the "Settings" menu, where options include enabling automatic database updates via integration with freshclam, specifying quarantine paths (defaulting to ~/.clamtk/viruses), and adding scan exclusions or whitelists for directories to avoid unnecessary processing.[1] Proxy settings can also be adjusted under the "Network" tab if operating behind a firewall. These configurations ensure seamless operation without repeated manual interventions.[29]
For routine use, ClamTk's graphical interface allows users to select scan targets by browsing files or directories in the main window, then initiating the process with the "Scan" button. Scans progress in real-time, displaying detected threats, file counts, and completion status; results are logged with details on infected items, which can be reviewed immediately in the interface.[1] Quarantined files appear in a dedicated tab for management, offering options to restore them to their original location or permanently delete them directly from the GUI.[29] The tool supports launching scans from file managers via right-click context menus, provided plugins like clamtk-gnome are installed.[1]
Basic troubleshooting addresses common issues such as permission errors during scans, which can often be resolved by ensuring the user has read access to target directories or running initial database updates with elevated privileges via sudo. Outdated definitions, indicated by warnings on launch, are fixed by manually executing sudo freshclam or enabling automatic updates in preferences.[30] If the GUI fails to detect signatures, verifying their location with commands like find /var -name "daily.cvd" helps confirm the ClamAV paths.[1]