How do I open this file in Ubuntu 7.10?

[Riverrun]

I'm running Ubuntu 7.10 with the standard Gnome desktop.

While scanning with rkhunter I got the following warning:Checking for hidden files and directories [ Warning ]
and the following advise: All results have been written to the logfile (/var/log/rkhunter.log)
One or more warnings have been found while checking the system.
Please check the log file (/var/log/rkhunter.log

I think it's an FP related to some legitimate app.

When I went to open the file, I found that I could not! Phew!

Searched the web, found plenty of reference to /var/log/rkhunter.log but no instruction as to how to open it.

How would I open such a file?

[Kerodo]

I would think you could open it with any of the standard text edtitors... Did you try Gedit?

[Riverrun]

Tried gedit, didn't work.
Used: sudo gedit /var/log/rkhunter.log and that worked.

This is what it revealed:


[00:46:03] Checking for hidden files and directories [ Warning ]
[00:46:03] Warning: Hidden directory found: /etc/.java
[00:46:03] Warning: Hidden directory found: /dev/.static
[00:46:03] Warning: Hidden directory found: /dev/.udev
[00:46:03] Warning: Hidden directory found: /dev/.initramfs


I don't think it's anything to worry about but I'd like one of you Linux wizards to confirm this.

If it's an FP as I suspect is there a command that will whitelist it?

[Kerodo]

My guess is there's nothing to worry about. There are many folders and files hidden in Linux. Any folder or directory can be hidden by putting a "." in front of it, and it's quite common to see a lot of them in your /home/username directory.. Set your file browser to display hidden files and you'll see all of them.

[clambermatic]

Via 'sudo' (or Terminal, input app name & click 'Tab' 2x in successions).... query rkHunter thru 'help/list' to see if it had other optional commands for tweaking (ie. whitelisting) rkHunter. Or look for the included operation-manual of rkHunter, if you downloaded it as a package or goto rkHunter's site for that manual.

Base on your posted report.... the last three are Hunter's components, the first is associated with java. It was an FP!

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,
You're cool. BTW, why would you wanna run it?
Do you have any reason to doubt your system might have been compromised?
Mrk

[Riverrun]

Thanks for the confirmation, guys.

Mrkovich: No reason at all to think that my system has been compromised but I'm still very new to Linux and though I've made the transition from windows in a relatively painless way and after two months I feel very comfortable using Ubuntu, nevertheless I'm still not sure how far I can thrust it.

I have read that rootkits can be problem in Linux and when I saw these results I was a little concerned.

Thinking about it last night, I came to the conclusion that it would be very difficult for a rootkit to gain entry.

Most of the software I'm using is cannonical apart from Songbird, which I couldn't resist installing, buggy and all as it is. Hope Ubuntu add it to the canon when the final is released.

Where would the rootkit come from, I thought? I don't think that Ubuntu is vulnerable to drive-by exploits as Windows is. I doubt if the makers of Songbird have hidden anything in the package and besides (correct me if I'm wrong) Songbird is Open-Source.

I figured that there was nothing to worry about but I'm glad to have this opinion confirmed nonetheless.

Thanks, Guys.