Is it a Virus?
✔ NO - Safe
Must be in /usr/sbin/sensors or /usr/bin/sensors
Can I Disable?
✔ YES
Disabling lm-sensors stops real-time sensor data and can affect monitoring dashboards
Where is lm-sensors located?
<strong>Located at /usr/sbin/sensors or /usr/bin/sensors. Verify with your distro's package manager.</strong>
Path and packaging verification recommended for Linux binaries
What is sensors?
lm-sensors is a Linux hardware monitoring package that detects sensors on motherboard chipsets and kernel drivers, then reports temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds to user space. It provides a command-line interface and libraries for reading sensor data, enabling monitoring, logging, and alerting to prevent overheating and maintain system health.
lm-sensors relies on kernel sensor drivers to expose data via sysfs. It uses sensors-detect to probe chips and load the correct modules, then reads values with the sensors tool for display in terminals or GUI widgets.
Quick Fact: lm-sensors relies on kernel sensor drivers (e.g., coretemp, k10temp, nct6795) and sysfs entries to expose data to user-space tools like sensors.
Types of lm-sensors Components
- Kernel Sensor Driver Interfaces: Interfaces between kernel sensor drivers and user-space tools, exposing data from chips like coretemp and k10temp.
- lm-sensors Utility: The command-line 'sensors' tool that reads and prints sensor data.
- Sensors-Detect Script: Interactive script that probes hardware to identify sensors and load the appropriate kernel modules.
- Sensors Daemon (optional): Optional background service on some distributions that polls sensors and updates monitoring dashboards.
- Graphing/Logging Tools: GUI widgets and logging libraries that visualize sensor data in real time.
Is lm-sensors Safe?
Yes, lm-sensors is safe when installed from official repositories and used as documented.
Is lm-sensors a Virus or Malware?
The real lm-sensors is NOT a virus. Malware could impersonate the binary in suspicious locations; always verify with your distro's package manager.
How to Tell if lm-sensors is Legitimate or Malware
- File Location:: Must be in
/usr/sbin/sensors or /usr/bin/sensors. Any other location is suspicious.
- Package Ownership:: Use
dpkg -S /usr/sbin/sensors (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -qf /usr/sbin/sensors (RHEL/Fedora) to confirm it belongs to the lm-sensors package.
- Origin and Vendor:: Run
apt-cache policy lm-sensors or rpm -qi lm-sensors to verify the official distro source and vendor.
- Integrity Check:: Use
debsums -s lm-sensors (Debian/Ubuntu) or rpm -V lm-sensors to verify file integrity against the package.
Red Flags: If a sensors binary appears in unusual locations (like /tmp, /var/tmp, or /home/USER/.local/bin) or not managed by the distro repo, run malware checks and reinstall from official sources.
Why Is lm-sensors Running on My PC?
lm-sensors runs to provide real-time sensor data for system monitoring. It may be invoked directly with the sensors command or loaded by a background monitoring setup on Linux.
Reasons it's running:
- Active Sensor Query: You opened a monitoring tool or ran sensors to view temperatures, voltages, or fan speeds; lm-sensors runs to provide data.
- Daemon or Service Enabled: Some distributions run a background service to poll sensors and refresh dashboards or logs.
- Startup Initialization: During boot, kernel modules load and an initial sensor snapshot may be collected for quick access.
- Firmware/EC Changes: BIOS/EC updates can alter sensor data or enable new sensors; lm-sensors picks up changes on next run.
- Integrations and Widgets: Desktop widgets, server monitors, or third-party apps frequently query lm-sensors for live data.
Can I Disable or Remove lm-sensors?
Yes, you can disable lm-sensors. If you do not rely on hardware monitoring, you can stop the service or uninstall the package.
How to Stop lm-sensors
- Disable service (if present): systemctl disable lm-sensors; systemctl stop lm-sensors
- Prevent startup: Disable any sensors-daemon or startup scripts from launching at boot
- Uninstall package: Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt-get remove --purge lm-sensors; RedHat/Fedora: sudo dnf remove lm_sensors; Arch: sudo pacman -Rns lm-sensors
- Reboot or reload: Reboot or log out/in to apply changes
- Alternative monitoring: Use BIOS/UEFI hardware monitoring or a desktop widget that relies on other data sources
How to Uninstall lm-sensors
- ✔ Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): sudo apt-get remove --purge lm-sensors
- ✔ Linux (Fedora/Redora): sudo dnf remove lm_sensors
- ✔ Arch Linux: sudo pacman -Rns lm-sensors
- ✔ Optional: remove any monitoring widgets or config files under /etc/sensors3.conf or /etc/sensors.d/
Common Problems: Sensor Not Detected or Inaccurate
If lm-sensors is not showing sensors or reports incorrect data, these are common problems and fixes.
Common Causes & Solutions
- No sensors detected after sensors-detect: Ensure modules are loaded (modprobe coretemp; modprobe k10temp) and that the kernel supports your motherboard; re-run sensors-detect and reboot.
- Incorrect readings (temps too high or too low): Load the correct kernel module for your chip (e.g., coretemp, k10temp, nct6775) using modprobe and re-check with sensors.
- Fans not showing or not controlling: Load the correct PWM/fan controller module and ensure the driver supports your fan hardware; verify via sensors and motherboard BIOS settings.
- Permission denied reading /sys/class: Run sensors as root or adjust permissions/groups; ensure your user belongs to audio/video or plugdev as appropriate for your distro.
- Sensors values drift after BIOS update: Re-run sensors-detect to re-identify chips and reload modules; update to a newer kernel if needed.
- Multiple conflicting sensor chips detected: Identify the correct module for each chip and unload conflicting modules; consult dmesg for driver messages.
Quick Fixes:
1. Run <code>sensors-detect --auto</code> to probe for sensors and load recommended kernel modules.
2. Install or enable the appropriate kernel modules (e.g., coretemp, k10temp, nct6775) and reboot if required.
3. Update lm-sensors and re-run <code>sensors</code> to verify data.
4. Check BIOS/UEFI fan and sensor settings, and ensure cooling hardware is functioning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is lm-sensors and what does it monitor?
lm-sensors is a Linux hardware monitoring package that reports temperatures, voltages, and fan speeds from motherboard sensors. It is safe when installed from your distribution's official repository.
How do I install lm-sensors on Linux?
To install lm-sensors on Debian/Ubuntu, run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install lm-sensors && sudo sensors-detect --auto.
Why doesn't lm-sensors show all sensors?
If sensors doesn't show all sensors, run sensors-detect again, load the correct kernel modules (coretemp, k10temp, etc.), and reboot if necessary.
Is there a GUI for lm-sensors?
Yes, lm-sensors has CLI output via the sensors command and can integrate with GUI tools like GNOME Sensors or Conky.
Can lm-sensors control fans?
lm-sensors itself doesn't control fans unless your kernel module supports it and you configure fan control in BIOS/EC or via separate software; it primarily reports data.
Is lm-sensors safe to use on laptops?
lm-sensors is generally safe on laptops and desktops; ensure you install from your distro repository and avoid running untrusted sensor utilities.