Microsoft warns against spyware
17 February 2005
Software giant Microsoft has issued a warning over what it describes as the "next generation" of spyware.
The firm's security researchers have unveiled a new threat to online security that, they say, is more dangerous than any that has gone before because it is virtually impossible to detect and is a danger to both individuals and companies.
Microsoft announced at the RSA security conference currently taking place in San Francisco that powerful system-monitoring programmes, or "rootkits", are becoming more common and as such are a growing threat to online security.
Mike Danseglio and Kurt Dillard of Microsoft's Security Solutions Group explained that the latest incarnation of remote system-monitoring software could be used to create a new generation of mass-distributed spyware and worms.
Once installed, the rootkits run quietly in the background and cannot be detected by any current anti-virus protection kit, meaning that sensitive information could be accessed remotely without anyone ever knowing.
Although Microsoft has now produced a tool which is able to detect rootkits, Mr Danseglio confirmed that the only sure-fire way of getting rid of them is to completely erase a hard drive and install the system from scratch.
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