Today is the era of technology. People use computer and technology everywhere at anytime. Indeed, it is easy to see th is the era of technology. Technology has made lives easier; however, it also has problems. Computer crimes such as privacy violation came out as technology grows. Malwares such as virus, worms… becamse a concern in the society today. Among those is rootkit, one of the most dangerous malware. Let’s discover more about rootkit.
First of all, what is a rootkit? According to the Shelly’s book Discovering Computers and Microsoft Office 207, a rootkit is “a program that hides in a computer and allows someone from a remote location to take full control of the computer” (Shelly 184). In fact, the term “rootkit” came from UNIX system. The term is divided into 2 parts: “root” and “kit.” Like physical roots of a tree, “root” here is implied administrator privileges of operating systems. The “kit” means the programs enters an operating system made up of more tools.[1] In short, rootkit is like a virus will manipulate other users’ computer by attacking the deepest level of operating system and then gain control of it.
Rootkit first came in early 1990s. According to Patrick Dickey, the first person use rootkit is rumored to be Lance Davis and Steve Duke. They are believed to be the first persons using rootkit when inserting a rootkit into a Sun Microsystems version of SunOS.2
Today, there are many types of rootkit available. The newest rootkit is Mebromi, “a new rootkit that targets computers’ BIOS making the infection harder to detect and eradicate, and persist even if the hard drive is physically replaced.” 3
So, how to prevent computers from being affected by root kits? To answer the question, it need to know how rootkit get into computers. The typical way root kits enter computers is through its physical installation on a computer “after first obtaining user-level access, either by exploiting a known vulnerability or cracking a password.”4 As the result, the best way to protect your computers from rootkit is to make sure unauthorized users could not gain the access to your computers. To do so, you need to have strong password and make sure they can not use your computers when it is already logged on.
Even though you try your best to prevent your computers from rootkit; there is chances that some root kits may already get into your computers without your consent. So, you should detect to find and remove rootkit if available. There are many types of rootkit detectors available such as Sysinternals, Tripwire, RKHunter, and Chkrootkit. In fact, even though you use one of those software to detect and remove root kits, “the only sure way to get rid if it is to completely erase the computer’s hard drive and reinstall the operating system.”3
It is interesting to know that one of the most famous technology companies even attach root kits to their products and sell to customers, gaining controls of customers’ computers. It is the case of Sony. Recently, Sony has been sued by many states including Texas and California for its copy-protection technology. According to the article “Sony Sued for Rootkit Copy Protection” by Gregg Keizer, Attorney Alan of California filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony BMG Music Entertainment, claming that the company has violated “anti-fraud statues and a third that forbids anyone placing spyware on a computer.”5
References:
1. “What Is Rootkit?” Avg.com. AVG Technologies. 2011. Web. September 30, 2011. <http://www.avg.com/ww-en/faq.num-2353>
2. Patrick Dickey. “What is Rootkit.” Brighthub.com. 2011. Bright Hub Inc. Web. September 30, 2011. < http://www.brighthub.com/computing/smb-security/articles/42780.aspx>
3. “BIOS Rootkit Found in the Wild.” Net-security.org. 2011. Help Net Security. Web. September 30, 2011. < http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=1837>
4. “Rootkit.” SearchMidmarketSecurity.com. Tech Target. 2011. Web. September 30, 2011http://searchmidmarketsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/rootkit
5. Gregg Keizer. “Sony Sued for Rootkit Copy Protection.” Informationweek.com. 2011. UBM TechWeb. Web. September 30, 2011 < http://www.informationweek.com/news/173601748>
6. Shelly Cashman. Discovering Computers and Microsoft Office 2007. 2009. Cengage Learning.
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