You've heard of computer viruses.

You've probably heard of spyware.

You should have heard the terms malware and adware by now.

What about "rootkits" -- have you heard that new sweetheart?

Agghhh!! LEAVE US ALONE BASEMENT DWELLERS! (That's my slang for people who write pc viruses...I imagine them with greasy hair in their grandma's basement with a single lightbulb swaying back & forth typing like crazy, lol. It makes me laugh and takes the anger out a bit.)

ANYWAY....rootkits are the latest threat. I'm too tired to paraphrase, so I'll let Wikipedia give it to you straight:

"A rootkit is a program (or combination of several programs) designed to take fundamental control (in Unix terms "root" access, in Windows terms "Administrator" access) of a computer system, without authorization by the system's owners and legitimate managers. Access to the hardware (ie, the reset switch) is rarely required as a rootkit is intended to seize control of the operating system running on the hardware. Typically, rootkits act to obscure their presence on the system through subversion or evasion of standard operating system security mechanisms. Often, they are also Trojans as well, thus fooling users into believing they are safe to run on their systems. Techniques used to accomplish this can include concealing running processes from monitoring programs, or hiding files or system data from the operating system.^[1]"

Rootkit. (2008, February 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:56, February 19, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rootkit&oldid=191903308

I know what you're thinking. "Huh?" -- yeah, my sentiments exactly. This was a new one on me too! But as good fortune would have it, there is a free anti-rootkit software that you can download, courtesy of Grisoft.

Here's the link: http://www.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-rootkit/us/crp/0

• Download
• Install
• Reboot
• Run the program - it will be listed in your programs as "AVG Anti-Rootkit"

So there you have it! Another weapon for your anti-cyber-demon arsenal!