The Rootkit Arsenal: Escape and Evasion in the Dark Corners of the System, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1    Empty Cup Mind

 

So here you are; bone dry and bottle empty. This is where your path begins. Just follow the yellow brick road, and soon we’ll be face to face with Oz, the great and terrible. In this chapter, we’ll see how rootkits fit into the greater scheme of things. Specifically, we’ll look at the etymology of the term “rootkit,” how this technology is used in the basic framework of an attack cycle, and how it’s being used in the field. To highlight the distinguishing characteristics of a rootkit, we’ll contrast the technology against several types of malware and dispel a couple of common misconceptions.

1.1    An Uninvited Guest

A couple of years ago, a story appeared in the press about a middle-aged man who lived alone in ...