This week, Symantec published an article about “rootkits” and I thought I would expand a little in order to help you understand what the term means and what the impact is on your personal computing.
By definition from Wikipedia, a rootkit is:
“A rootkit is a set of software tools intended to conceal running processes, files or system data from the operating system. Rootkits have their origin in benign applications, but in recent years have been used increasingly by malware to help intruders maintain access to systems while avoiding detection. Rootkits exist for a variety of operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, Linux and Solaris. Rootkits often modify parts of the operating system or install themselves as drivers or kernel modules.”
The primary purpose of a rootkit is to provide access to a “backdoor” into the computer system that it’s installed on. If the computer is a part of an enterprise system, the rootkit will by its nature allow an intruder access to the entire network.
The best protection that you can have in order to prevent a rootkit being installed on your computer or system is to make sure your anti-virus definitions are constantly updated. Schedule them to update when ever you turn on your computer.
If you should become infected with a rootkit, the surest way to resolve the infection is to re-install the operating system. If you have access to ghosting software, make sure it’s run at least once a month in order to have a backup copy of the files on your system that you want to keep.
As always, safe surfing,
0 comments:
Post a Comment