Can my laptop slow down? How has my background image changed? The blue screen again? Phew! If any of these things sound familiar, your computer may have a rootkit.
What is a Rootkit?
A rootkit is an application (or a set of applications) that hides its presence, or that of others such as malware or spyware, on a device. Rootkits are hidden using some of the lower layers of the operating system, including the redirect API function or undocumented functions of the operating system, which makes them almost undetectable by ordinary antimalware software.
Where does the term "rootkit" come from? On Unix and Linux operating systems, the system administrator, a fully empowered account with privileges and unrestricted access (similar to the administrator account on Windows), is known as "root. " Applications that allow root or administrator-level access to the device and restricted areas are known as the "kit".
Put the two together and you have "rootkit" - a program that gives someone (with legitimate or malicious intent) privileged access to a PC or mobile device. This person can now control the device remotely without the knowledge or consent of its owner.
Unfortunately, rootkits are often designed to create unauthorized access to computers, allowing cybercriminals to steal personal data and financial information, install malware, or use computers as part of a botnet to circulate spam and participate in DDoS attacks.
Imagine a thief who wants to break into your home to steal. They often dress in black to blend in the dark and sneak around to avoid detection. But unlike the thief who takes something and leaves, a rootkit remains on your device, stealing your data or tampering with it.
Is a Rootkit a Virus?
A rootkit is not itself a virus. A computer virus is a program or piece of code designed to damage your computer by corrupting system files, wasting resources, destroying data, or simply being a nuisance. A key distinguishing feature of viruses is that they use your computer's resources to reproduce and spread through your files or other computers without your consent.
Unlike viruses, rootkits are not necessarily harmful. What is dangerous is the different forms of malware that a rootkit can carry, which can then manipulate the operating system and provide administrator access to remote users. This makes them popular tools among cybercriminals, which is why rootkits have gotten such a bad rap.
Installing Free AntiVirus is your first line of defense against malicious rootkits and many other types of malware. Scan your devices to detect and remove rootkits at their source and stay protected against any future malware.
Is Rootkit Malware?
A rootkit is closely associated with malware (short for "malicious software"), a program designed to infiltrate and steal data, damage devices, demand a ransom, and perform other illegal activities. Malware includes viruses, Trojans, spyware, worms, ransomware, and many other types of software.
Modern rootkits work by covering up the harmful effects of malware.
How to Recognize a Rootkit
By design, rootkits are difficult to detect. They are good at camouflaging themselves, which makes their detection very tedious. Even commercially available products and seemingly benign third-party applications can have a rootkit-based function. A rootkit can hide its activities and information from the operating system, preventing its bad behavior from being exposed.
How? Once installed, a rootkit is usually loaded at the same time as the computer operating system or after the process begins. There are other rootkits that can be loaded before the operating system, making them even more difficult to detect.
Signs of a Malicious Rootkit in Action:
- Blue screen: Windows error messages or blue screens with white text and your computer constantly needs to restart.
- Strange behavior: unusual behavior of the web browser, such as redirects of Google links and unrecognized bookmarks.
- Failure to start: slow computer performance or the device hangs or does not respond to any type of input from the mouse or keyboard.
- The social network: Web pages or network activities seem intermittent or work incorrectly due to excessive traffic.
- Out of sight: Windows settings change without permission. Examples of this can be changing the screen saver or the taskbar hiding.
How to Remove a Rootkit
Finding and removing rootkits is not an exact science, as they can be installed in various ways. Even if you clean a machine, the rootkit can survive in some cases. The good news: An antivirus tool with a rootkit scanner like Protegent360's will go a long way toward keeping you away from malware. Our anti-rootkit technology, included in FREE AntiVirus, detects, prevents, and removes rootkits and other forms of malicious software.
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