Free Anti-Rootkit Software

Rootkits are a way to hide malicious software in an attempt to avert anti-virus, anti-spyware and other security tools. In other words, you may have installed anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall software on your machine but you could still be vulnerable to root-kits. To find out if your computer is infected by a rootkit try one of the following anti-rootkit tools:

F-Secure Blacklight Anti-Rootkit

f-secure blacklight screenshotF-Secure Blacklight anti-rootkit was one of the first free rootkit removal tools available. The program provides a simple user interface and is aimed at non-technical users with a scan button to detect rootkits on your system.

After scanning the user is asked whether to remove any threats which have been identified. F-Secure Blacklight provides background scanning during normal system operation, does not require rebooting during a scan and does not provide a long list of suspected objects or false positives.

http://www.f-secure.com/blacklight

Sophos Anti-Rootkit

sophos anti-rootkit screenshotSophos Anti-Rootkit enables you to scan either the Windows registry, running processes, local hard drives or a combination of all three. The simple user interface focuses on the tasks at hand and provides a scan button and a help button. If any root-kits are detected during scanning Sophos Anti-Rootkit gives you the opportunity to check and remove them.

http://www.sophos.com/products/free-tools

 

McAfee Rootkit Detective Free

McAfee anti-rootkit screenshotAlthough still in Beta McAfee Rootkit Detective provides a host of scanning options which are not evident in some other free Anti-Rootkit programs. Most users should be happy with the default settings, however you have options to scan the registry, specific drives or processes. Users can also submit samples for further analysis by email.

The display options including view hooked services and view hooked imports/exports may sound a little too techical for most users. If you are unsure which action to take after using the program it is wise to submit any suspicious files to McAfee for analyisis before taking any remedial action.

http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/rkstinger.aspx