Tips for cleaning up malicious rootkit tools

As a software, rootkit can connect to and enter the computer, while hiding signs of its existence from users and administrators. Although rootkit itself may be harmless, almost all hidden software or processes are faulty. Different from viruses, rootkit can gain computer management permissions. Rootkit is the most serious damage and threat to viruses. The biggest problem with processing rootkit is that once the system is intruded, it is difficult to prevent detection and removal, because their main purpose is to create chaos.

However, this does not mean that you must be manipulated by rootkit. You can take preventive measures to prevent them from appearing at the time. Even better, you can clear them in the first place.

1. Protect the system

You do not need to pay attention to everything at any time. Of course, this does not mean you need to give up protection measures. When installing a new linux system, you must first install rkhunter. It is a very effective rootkit defense tool. If you are not using a linux operating system, you need to select Tools such as avg anti rootkit or combofix to complete related tasks.

2. Focus on various subtle signs

Although rootkit does not actively expose small traces that can be found, there is always a way to do this. If you receive notifications from different objects and claim that you are sending a large number of spam messages, a hidden rootkit may exist, making the system part of a botnet. If your server belongs to a network server, it may be poisoned when you find a strange redirection operation time. For unix and unix-like systems, you can view the version of executable files or changes in the directory structure. If you use the ls/usr/bin or ls/usr/sbin command to check whether a naming error occurs in a normal application, it is likely that you are under rootkit attack. Of course, the simplest detection method is to regularly run rkhunter

3. Clear it.

If the system is infected, the first thing to do is to shut down the machine! Then, remove the drive, install it on another machine (preferably a non-windows system), and copy the data. This is because of the possibility of re-installing the operating system. Therefore, ensure that the data is not affected. Moreover, starting and running infected systems can only cause greater damage, especially when spam robots or similar software are running.

Never forget tripwire

The data integrity monitoring tool tripwire can be used to monitor file changes in a given Configuration System/directory. One of the main tasks of rootkit is to conceal the existence of malware. Normally, they use renaming files or folders or installing files/folders with similar names. Using tools such as tripwire, you can immediately discover such behavior. It is vital that you install tripwire immediately after the operating system is installed. Otherwise, the rootkit may have been installed in the system, and the actual effect of tripwire will be greatly affected.

5. Perform memory transfer processing

This is a more challenging method, which is the preferred choice for experts who can use private tools or code. You can forcibly store the kernel (or even all) memory that may or confirm to be infected to capture any activity that the rootkit may perform. You can use debugging tools to analyze the results of memory transfer operations. During the analysis, rootkit cannot confuse its work and will be detected. Of course, you will have to clear the data and reinstall it.

Focusing on prevention

The harm caused by rootkits is very serious. Therefore, the best solution is to install security tools to prevent the system from being infected. The biggest problem with rootkit is that the harm they cause requires you to clear data and reinstall the system. Therefore, we must take positive actions to prevent them.