Fergie's Tech Blog

Better Hacking Through Science: New and Improved Ways to Hide Rootkits

William Jackson writes on GCN.com:

In the cat-and-mouse game of computer security, rootkits are a powerful way to hide malicious code on a compromised computer where it is difficult to detect and remove.

As detection tools become more sophisticated, one researcher thinks that the BIOS may be the new frontier for rootkits.

“There are no tools now to audit your BIOS for a rootkit,” said John Heasman, principal security consultant for NGS Software Ltd. of the U.K. Heasman, speaking at the Black Hat Federal Briefings in Arlington, Va., described a proof of concept technique for placing a rootkit at such a low level on the computer’s system that it would survive reboots, reinstallation of operating systems and even replacement of the hard drive.

posted by Fergie @ 1/26/2006 10:15:00 AM