The incidence of malicious rootkits increased 272% from 2006 to 2007, according to PandaLabs.
Rootkits are programs designed to hide certain objects and processes. Cyber-criminals use them to hide the processes of malicious codes, so that they are invisible to security solutions and the operating process.
"Nowadays, hackers are no longer after notoriety; they simply seek to benefit financially from their activity," explains Jeremy Matthews, head of Panda Security`s sub-Saharan operations.
"To achieve this, it is essential that their actions can go undetected, as in this way they can increase the time that malicious code remains on a PC. It also prevents widespread alarm and causes users to drop their guard. Rootkits are therefore the ideal tool.`
PandaLabs recently discovered rootkits designed to replace the computer`s master boot record for one of its own. This is just one example of the continuous evolution of rootkits, notes Matthews.
PandaLabs was able to detect many rootkits through the security model called "collective intelligence". It involves the collection of information concerning malware from the Internet community and then processing this data in new data centres.
"Thanks to collective intelligence, we can detect much more malware in much less time," says Matthews. "Bearing in mind that more than 3 000 new strains of malware appear every day, this model has allowed us to offer better security to our clients."
To avoid falling victim to these malicious codes, Matthews says it is imperative to have an up-to-date security solution installed that can detect even unknown threats. "In addition, err on the side of caution: don`t open e-mails from unknown senders, don`t click links in e-mails or instant messages (better to type the address in the browser bar), and don`t download suspicious files from P2P networks."
He adds that updating all the programs installed on a computer will prevent vulnerabilities from being exploited. Users should also scan their computers for malware with an online solution such as TotalScan.
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