PandaLabs Finds Trojans With Rootkit

GLENDALE, Calif. -- PandaLabs, Panda Security’s malware analysis and detection laboratory, has detected the appearance of Trojans that include rootkits (MBRtool.A, MBRtool.B, MBRtool.C, etc.) designed to replace the master boot record (MBR), the first or zero sector of the hard disk, for one of their own. A rootkit is a program designed to take fundamental control of a computer system, without authorization by the system's owners and legitimate managers.This new form of attack is a revolutionary use of rootkits, making it even more difficult to detect the associated malicious code.

“This system of attack makes it practically impossible to detect the rootkits and the malicious code they hide once they are installed on a computer,” said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. “The only feasible defense is to detect these rootkits before they enter the computer. In anticipation of other similar malicious code that may appear, it is essential to use proactive technologies that can detect threats without having previously identified them.”

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