A rootkit is a toolkit developed for hackers--a set of programs used to conceal processes, files or data on a hacked system, so the intruder can, for instance, maintain undetected backdoor access. But it's not just the cyber underworld that makes use of rootkit technology.
Rootkits hit the public radar late last year when it was discovered that a Sony BMG antipiracy rootkit embedded on some of its music CDs was being exploited by Trojan horse viruses.
Read the first part in our rundown of hot security topics, from antivirus to zero-day threats.
Users who had installed Sony software so they could listen to their music on their PCs also unwittingly installed a digital rights management (DRM) program designed to limit the number of copies of the CD they could make and prevent them from making unprotected MP3s. Several Trojans piggybacked on Sony's DRM tech, cloaking themselves and their nefarious activities. Microsoft even updated its security tools to remove the Sony rootkit, dubbing it a Windows PC security risk.
As UC Berkeley students, the co-founders of "Back to the Roots" discovered they could grow mushrooms using recycled coffee grounds. Now their mushroom kit sells at grocery stores across the country.
Tommy Jordan, the man who shot his daughter's laptop for YouTube, gets a visit from police and child protection services. Oh, and Good Morning America.
For people who don't have time to tend a Zen garden, the Zen Table will handle the work for you. The table is filled with silicone beads and a robotic system that "rakes" images into the sand.
The Washington State Senate passed a bill that would charge electric car owners $100 per year to compensate for not paying gas taxes. The bill still has to pass the House.
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