A Brief History of Malware and Cybercrime
12 notable developments in three decades of online threats, with notes on responses.
When it began: 1970s-80s. Originally developed by hackers to hide traces of intruders on Unix computers, rootkits for all types of networked computers are packaged and sold on the Internet by the emerging malware development community. Perhaps the king of these programs is the open source rootkit FU, which can be downloaded freely here.
What it is: Software that hides the presence and activity of intruders. Used in combination with Trojan software, hackers can change system settings and make use of the computer without the user—and usually without monitoring software such as firewalls or anti-virus programs—being able to detect it. Once hackers get "root access," to a computer, they can manipulate it to do anything they want. For example, in 2005, a computer science researcher discovered that Sony BMG Music Entertainment had used rootkit techniques to disguise digital rights management software that installed itself on consumers' computers when they played a Sony CD. The case ended with a settlement.
Response: No reliable response exists, though there are anti-rootkit software programs that attempt to detect rootkit takeovers. For more, see "Rootkit Reality" from CSOonline.com.
spam
Receive the latest security news as it breaks.
