Also in line with viruses, given how many variants of a base system there can be, unless the virus is compiled in your machine, to my knowledge chances are higher for a virus to fail to function properly, or even at all.
Cross-platform malware does exist, and one of the most common and practical forms is malicious browser extensions. A harmful Chrome or Firefox add-on can function just as effectively on Linux as it does on Windows.
On another point, something I expect to become a problem in Linux is that you need the admin’s password, which is pretty much the master key of the system, for way too many things, even to install a web browser or the equivalent of 7-Zip. With scams usually involving social engineering, having the user hand a key from a system that depends mainly on it makes the system far more vulnerable.
Multiple types of dangerous malware can run on Linux without requiring root privileges. As previously mentioned, malicious browser extensions pose a significant threat. Harmful actions like deleting files or logging keystrokes can also be carried out using a Python script that doesn’t need root access.
Linux is undoubtedly more secure than Windows for a variety of reasons, but Linux users should still remain cautious. No system is completely invulnerable.
If you’re trying to avoid forced telemetry and similar tracking, you’re generally safer with most of the big Linux distros. Most of them don’t collect data at all, and if they do, it’s usually easy to opt out with just a click.
Going for lesser-known distros does increase your risk a bit, but the fact that they’re open source helps deter some bad actors, since the code can be inspected by others.
And if you’re worried about super-sophisticated backdoors, keep in mind you’re not exactly safe with Microsoft either. A rogue employee could still cause harm, and because it’s closed source, any malicious changes might take way longer to catch.