Windows XP to blame for rootkit plague
You damn Windows XP users are the reason rootkits are plaguing computers and networks. Why don’t you upgrade already?
Shockingly, of all the Windows systems in use today, a whopping 58 percent are running XP, an OS which this month is set to celebrate its 10th birthday. XP is old, garish, and littered with decrepit security measures which put its users at risk. Unfortunately that also puts the rest of us at risk as these ancient systems sit there on the Internet waiting to infect others with their pox-ridden hides.
According to Czech anti-virus company Avast (via ComputerWorld), XP is the root cause of rootkits, with 74 percent of all those found on machines running Windows XP. Rootkits, for the blissfully unaware, are malware packages which are hard to detect or destroy but which allow a hacker to use a machine for nefarious purposes. Windows 7, by comparison, accounts for just 12 percent of all rootkits found, despite having a market share of 31 percent.
There are two reasons behind XP systems being the biggest culprit when it comes to harboring rootkits:
The first is how many pirate copies of XP are in existence, with many still registering XP SP2 rather than the newer SP3. This is because those using illegal copies will resist the urge to upgrade for fear of triggering any anti-piracy measures employed by Microsoft. SP2 is no longer supported by Microsoft, so holes in its security will be rife.
The second is the increased security inherent in Windows 7, with 10 years having made a hell of a difference to how robust the operating system is straight out the box. Windows 7 64-bit is particularly hard to break in to, although Avast was surprised that so many Windows 7 machines were still infected.
Windows 7 hasn’t solved the problem of rootkits entirely, but it has helped an enormous amount. Making the message pretty clear: Upgrade from XP and do us all a favor, you cheapskates.
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August 1st, 2011
What does it say about Avast as an anti-virus application letting 74% of XP PCs getting contaminated with rootkits ?
August 1st, 2011
Ilev, you are making on massive and short-sighted assumption in your comment – you are assuming that the companies are running Avast before they got the rootkits. It is highly unlikely that one of the better antivirus programs would let 74% of the computers it covered on one operating system get infected, do you not think? In my experience, Avast has been good (though not as good as Avira) for preventing and for catching out rootkits and viruses when repairing computers for family, friends and all their friends now as well. They have also had very few problems later on with either program, in truth, though Avira is now my recommendation. So I would say that the fact that Avast detected rootkits on 74% of machines is not too bad. Even with a good definition set, rootkits can be hard to discover sometimes.
August 1st, 2011
“you are assuming that the companies are running Avast before they got the rootkits.”
Yes, I do, other wise they wouldn’t have known they are infected.
August 1st, 2011
Akers,
You obviously aren’t familiar with the very best of all anti-virus offerings. It’s reliable and robust, and, unlike other anti-virus software that slows down your system, this solution actually speeds it up! Best of all, it’s absolutely free.
It’s called Linux. Get your copy today, and leave the crapware from Redmond in your rear view mirror, where it rightly belongs.
August 2nd, 2011
Hugh, funny you should say that I’m not familiar with the best of all antivirus offerings. I have Windows on two computers for my college work but other than that run Fedore, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu and Kubuntu on other computers so I would say I am very familiar with the best of all anti-virus offerings which is of course Linux. I am also a realist and appreciate that Linux doesn’t do everything. It doesn’t particularly like some of the RealTek wireless cards on the laptops in my house, so whilst it is fantastic for a lot of the tasks I use it for, it also has a long way to go to be practical for every day use. And whilst freeware office suites are okay, they do not offer all of the functionality of Word and do not read files correctly. At least MSWord works fine under PlayOnLinux. Linux isn’t perfect, Windows isn’t perfect, Mac isn’t perfect. I use all three regularly.
And ilev, it is entirely possible that Avast was installed after the rootkits were on the network and ran scans to diagnose the rootkits. When I’m fixing a slow computer, 9 times out of 10 the first and most important step for removing viruses, malware and rootkits etc is switching to a new antivirus program. So why couldn’t rootkits have been discovered on a scan after Avast was installed to try to fix it? I’m not saying nothing got past it but the amount of small home networks or even small business networks which have had no antivirus at all running is truly ludicrous at times. The free trial of McAfee/Norton runs out and people very often just leave it, then you come to fix it and it is a right mess!