Beta of Panda’s Linux desktop security software available for download

Desktop Linux users interested in tools for securing PCs against malware and intrusions may want to give DesktopSecure a trial run.

Panda Software, the maker of DesktopSecure, is offering a free beta-trial download of the tool for a limited time.

The software runs on Linux desktop PCs (Red Hat, SuSE, Debian and Fedora are supported explicitly, but Panda says it will work with most Linux) and provides Trojan, spyware and scanning services for other types of malware, as well as anti-virus checking. A personal firewall application is also included in the package.

A self-diagnosis tool is included to enable users to view the security status of their PCs, relative to the features and services that are actively running on the system. Panda claims that the software can also protect against unknown malware, using what it calls heuristic technology, which can identify anomalous processes or out-of-the-ordinary changes to system files on a Linux machine.

Panda says DesktopSecure will be free to home and personal PC users of Linux when the final version is released later this year. Panda plans to offer a subscription-based support service for the software, targeted at corporate users, but pricing for such an offering is not yet set. Users who participate in the beta program will be able to give feedback, point out bugs, and make requests for features in the final version of the software, Panda says.

The software can be downloaded here.