Topic: Free anti-rootkit program launched

[Clive]

Grisoft, makers of the popular free AVG Anti-Virus program, have launched a new anti-rootkit application.

AVG Anti-Rootkit will prevent users from unintentionally installing rootkits on their PCs. Rootkits are pieces of software that are often used to ensure that you can't make unauthorised copies of some media files, while hiding themselves on your system so they can't be disabled or removed.

?Rootkits are computer code that attempt to hide their actions and processes, making the job of detecting the code and the harmful processes very difficult,? said Larry Bridwell of Grisoft.

Rootkits first came into the public consciousness when Sony's copy-protection software, a rootkit itself, was exploited by malicious hackers to gain access to some PCs without their owner's knowledge.

?AVG Anti-Rootkit is developed to detect and destroy rootkits effectively, without bothering users with false alarms,? said Bridwell.


http://www.grisoft.com/

[GillE]

There's another free anti-rootkit from Sophos that I've been using happily for some time.

Gill

[mistybear]

I had been using their older version (1.0.0.13) since september of last year, I wasn't able to update it, but have now replaced it with this one.