The rootkit problem is not going away any time soon. In fact, it's likely to get much worse before it gets better, according to the members of a panel on the topic at RSA Conference 2007 Tuesday.

"Rootkit capability is at an apex, an all-time high for the attackers," said Jamie Butler, director of engineering at software security firm HBGary Inc. in Chevy Chase, Md.

"Once you're at ring zero, which is where all rootkits need to be in order to work well, it's impossible to block their actions. They can write executable code, hijack legitimate threads, all kinds of things."

Rootkits are not a new class of technology; they've been around for decades in one form or another. But in the last couple of years, their popularity and sophistication has grown by leaps and bounds as organized crime groups have adopted them as their weapons of choice for infiltrating PCs. The tools typically are designed to be installed stealthily, hide their presence on the system and allow the attacker to access the machine at any time.

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