RootKits !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bosco0633]

So my computer has been going through some major issues lately and I went to purchase more ram yesterday, thinking that this would help.  I learned about rootkits very quickly.

I was informed that root kits are little programs that operate in the background.  They can track all kinds of stuff even gather personal information.  They dont scan on virus checks because they are not viruses.  Once they plant themselves into your system, you will be forced to do what I did.

Complete re-format of my hard drive.  I lost everything on my drive.  My computer is quicker now.

I dont know if it is against forum rules, howeve, if you are interested in an excellent free program let me know if it is ok to post and I will.  I just checked it today, after my required downloads and it found two already.  Less than 24 hours and I had two of them.  Unreal.

[Dr. Spaâ„¢ Ret.]

Or, you could just tell me in a PM  

Please?

[Tman122]

Spybot Search and Destroy. Or my Charter Internet has a great security suite that has rootkit and spy detection software. But you have to buy a subscription to that one to recieve the updates, like any security software the updates are very important as spys and roots are designed to not be detected and the software is always following to catch up.

[bosco0633]

I am currently running AVG free for antivirus. It is amazing and did I mention free???

AVG also has a root kit download which is also free for all home accounts.  I was amazed to learn about these issues.  Sorry, if I violated forum rules for posting let me know and I will remove the post.

Download it and protect your PC

[96SC]

I had some work done on my computer and the guy put AVG in it.  Originally, I had Norton (slow as Heck)anti-virus, and this is faster.  According to him he scanned a computer with AVG, Norton and McAfee and only the AVG picked up two virus'.

Like bosco said, It's Free.
 

[bosco0633]

the avg spyware is not the best that I have used. however, the antivirus and root kit is amazing.   And did we mention,  IT IS FREE!!!!

[Gomboman]

the avg spyware is not the best that I have used. however, the antivirus and root kit is amazing.   And did we mention,  IT IS FREE!!!!

Thanks Bosco. I use avg anti virus myself but didn't know about the root kit. Can you explain what the root kit will do? I think my system is operating slower than it used to. Perhaps the root kit will get me back to my baseline speed. I've used webroot in the past. Is it a similar program?

[MostlyLurkingGal]

Thanks for this thread Bosco! My Norton was up in 3 days, and I had been wanting to get rid of it, but afraid to.... Your post made me decide to "just do it".  I d/l AVG and so far it's great!

[bosco0633]

Webroot is a great program for spyware and spam issues.  Rootkits are a little different.  I guess in order to be fully protected, use the AVG antivirus, rootkit, and spyware programs.  All three are free.  I checked wikipedia on root kits and here are some highlights for you to view.

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 relatively 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, Linux and Solaris. Rootkits often modify parts of the operating system or install themselves as drivers or kernel modules.


A rootkit can take full control of a system. A rootkit's only purpose is to hide files, network connections, memory addresses, or registry entries from other programs used by system administrators to detect intended or unintended special privilege accesses to the computer resources. However, a rootkit may be incorporated with other files which have other purposes. It is important to note that the utilities bundled with the rootkit may be malicious in intent, but a rootkit is essentially a technology; it may be used for both productive and destructive purposes.

A rootkit is often used to hide utilities. These are often used to abuse a compromised system,and often include so-called "backdoors" to help the attacker subsequently access the system more easily. For example, the rootkit may hide an application that spawns a shell when the attacker connects to a particular network port on the system. Kernel rootkits may include similar functionality. A backdoor may also allow processes started by a non-privileged user to execute functions normally reserved for the superuser. All sorts of other tools useful for abuse can be hidden using rootkits. This includes tools for further attacks against computer systems which the compromised system communicates with, such as sniffers and keyloggers. A possible abuse is to use a compromised computer as a staging ground for further abuse (see zombie computer). This is often done to make the abuse appear to originate from the compromised system or network instead of the attacker. Tools for this can include denial-of-service attack tools, tools to relay chat sessions, and e-mail spam attacks. A major use for rootkits is allowing the programmer of the rootkit to see and access user names and log-in information for sites that require them. The programmer of the rootkit can store unique sets of log-in information from many different computers. This makes the rootkits extremely hazardous, as it allows trojans to access this personal information while the rootkit covers it up.

Rootkits are not always used to attack and gain control of a computer. Some software may use rootkits to hide from 3rd party scanners to prevent detection or tampering. Some emulation software and security software is known to be using rootkits.[1] Alcohol 120% and Daemon Tools are commercial examples of the use of non-hostile rootkits.

[Gomboman]

Bosco, I ran the Rootkit but my pc came out clean. Is sure is as slow as a dog. I'm not sure what's going on. I was hoping it was plugged up with crap....

[ebirrane]

Three free programs all computers should have on them are:

AVG Antivirus by grisoft http://free.grisoft.com
Spybot Search and Destroy (v1.4, but v1.5 is coming out, I think)
AdAware by lavasoft.

I think there are 1 or 2 other spyware programs that people prefer to AdAware personal edition, but I've used it quite successfully for years.

It should be noted to check and make sure things work correctly under Windows Vista (If, of course, you have Vista).

-Ed

[bosco0633]

Gomboma, perhaps it is time for a  complete reformat of the hard drive.  A good friend of mine told me the other day that I should reformat at least twice a year with a PC.  I did formatted the drive and it is 100% faster.