McAfee: Rootkit Numbers Are Rocketing Up

["Fergie" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

Via C|Net News:

[snip]

Rootkits, used by hackers to hide malicious software, are on the rise and becoming more complex, according to security 
company McAfee.

In the first quarter, the number of rootkits seen by McAfee's Avert Labs grew by 700 percent, compared with the same 
period last year, the company said Monday. Its research into "stealth techniques" also covered cloaking technology 
bundled with commercial programs, such as Sony BMG's antipiracy tool, and with potentially unwanted software such as 
adware.

While the use of such techniques to hide activity on computers has been around since 1986, their number and complexity 
has accelerated over the last three years, according to a McAfee report [.pdf] released Monday. In the first quarter 
alone, the Avert Labs found more than 827 stealth techniques. That contrasts with about 70 found in the same period in 
2005 and with approximately 769 for the whole of that year.

[snip]

More:
http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6061878.html

- ferg


--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg () netzero net or fergdawg () sbcglobal net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/


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