Short on time?

But there are several antiviruses with excellent rootkit prevention and detection, like Bitdefender.

Read on to learn more about rootkits!

Bitdefender

Kernel rootkits can even create hidden memory caches on your hard drive that are completely hidden from your OS.

User-Mode or software Rootkits

Opposite to kernel-mode rootkits, user-mode rootkits run in the user space.

They intercept and modify the behavior of executable files, such as program files and applications.

For Windows, most user-mode rootkits are able to infiltrate trusted programs through a process called DLL injection.

your system is deceived into thinking that the rootkit is a printer driver.

The MBR is the first sector of the computers hard drive.

They can even survive a complete reformatting of the disk.

VMs are sandboxed operating systems that are hosted on your disk but behave as separate computers.

Examples of Rootkits

How Does a Rootkit Infect a Computer?

Once a rootkit is executed on your gadget, it deceives your system in a variety of ways.

A compromised machine might not be able to find unauthorized modifications to itself or its components.

This can be particularly effective for detecting user-mode rootkits, which hook themselves to trustworthy software files.

Volatile data is the data stored in temporary memory on a computer while its running.

However, its pretty complicated, and it shouldnt be performed by unskilled users.

Windows 11 has built-in integrity checks that occur periodically during boot.

But advanced anti-malware programs likeBitdefenderandNorton360have better malware protection than Windows Defender.

Some phishing sites are designed to perfectly mimic legitimate sites, so they can be very hard to detect.

Thetop antivirus scannerscan perform real-time scans for viruses and block malware before they can drop your rig.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can rootkits be removed?

Yes, but its much, much easier toprevent rootkits from infecting your devicethan it is to remove them.

Where do rootkits hide?

Some of the most well-known rootkitsleave a few signson user devices, which make them detectable by antivirus scanners.