The spread of malicious software, also known as malware or
computer viruses, is a growing problem that can lead to crashed
computer systems, stolen personal information, and billions of
dollars in lost productivity every year. One of the most
insidious types of malware is a “rootkit,” which can effectively
hide the presence of other spyware or viruses from the user —
allowing third parties to steal information from your computer
without your knowledge. But now researchers from North Carolina
State University have devised a new way to block rootkits and
prevent them from taking over your computer. To give some idea
of the scale of the computer malware problem, a recent Internet
security threat report showed a 1,000 percent increase in the
number of new malware signatures extracted from the in-the-wild
malware programs found from 2006 to 2008. Of these malware
programs, “rootkits are one of the stealthiest,” Continue
reading at ScienceDaily.