Forget Viruses: Hello Rootkits & "Malware"

We all know the dangers of viruses -- those pestky bits of computer code that can be embedded in email attachments and even pictures that, when run, can do all kinds of crazy things/damage to your computer. In recent years, adware and spyware have had their day, degrading our computer performance and tracking our every movement online.

And while the good news is that most people are running virus checkers (dump anything you run that costs any cash, and get/install/scan with AVG Free Edition from GriSoft) and adware/spyware removers (AdAware Personal kills 'em dead, and is also free) -- there's a new threat plaguing Netizens: Rootkits and Malware.

First, rootkits. The first time I heard this term was a few months back listening to the TWIT (This Week In Tech) podcast. You can listen to the episode here. Leo and his roundtable of pals were soundly kicking in Sony/BMG's head for embedding a rootkit in their audio CDs. Basically, a customer purchases the new Celion Dion music CD, puts it into the computer to listen/rip to MP3s, and upon insertion the CD installs a program in the very root of your computer's operating system which disables copying.

So big deal you say -- Sony should be able to protect their intellectual property, right? Sure, however, Sony's rootkit was just that -- something that latched onto the root of a computer and gave a back door to hackers to exploit. Now cybercriminals could send out new code that could detect and make use of the Sony rootkit to damage computers. Worst of all, Sony originally made it impossible for virus software to detect the kit and remove it. Thus the perfect storm of criticism.

The lawsuit and resulting settlement resulted in more press stories/online coverage than you could shake a stick at. This also fed the fire of the hackers, who now saw rootkits as the core for their next generation of invasive software. Forget viruses/adware which could be detected and removed with up-to-date programs like the ones I mentioned above -- rootkits can hide in your PC's core and do their misdeeds unobstructed.

On top of that, we have another new techie term to learn -- Malware. Consider this the 2006 way of saying virus, adware, trojan horse, you name it. As Microsoft puts is, "Malware is short for malicious software and is typically used as a catch-all term to refer to any software designed to cause damage to a single computer, server, or computer network, whether it's a virus, spyware, et al."

Malware has, in my mind, become even more pervasive and dangerous in recent months. If you've ever tried to launch a server on the Net, you're feeling my pain. Within a few minutes of any new server going live, thousands upon thousands of queries hit every port on the machine, automatically checking for openings and vulnerabilites. Of course, a few are always found -- unless you're a Nazi about security and lock the machine down. And once the openings are... open... your server will be malfunctioning faster than you can say "No way!"

So what can you do about these new developments? First, download and install AVG and Adaware using the links above. Check for updates, then run a scan at least once a week using both tools. You'll have 99% of the viruses and adware kicked from your machine.

For rootkits, a few new tools have emerged to help. Most are still in beta (testing prior to release), but are all we have to find and root out the rootkits. Download, install, and run these tools as well once a week to keep on top of things:

Windows Defender
Rootkit & Malware Removal: Microsoft
SpyBoy Search and Destroy