Rootkit Remover

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What Does Rootkit Remover Mean?

A rootkit remover is a type of virus/malware remover that scans, identifies and removes rootkit viruses and programs from a computer. Rootkits are a type of malware that tends to override computer/operating administrative controls and procedures.

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A rootkit remover is also known as a rootkit revealer, rootkit scanner or rootkit detector.

Techopedia Explains Rootkit Remover

A rootkit remover works by scanning all programs and utilities that have any level of administrative access and control on a system. They generally scan all levels of rootkits including virtualizes, kernels, libraries and kernel-level rootkits. They review the file system structure and compare it with the best-known structure to identify any abnormalities caused by a rootkit.

Rootkit removers can be part of an anti-virus software or a stand-alone application. They work by scanning hidden threads, services, files registry keys, driver-based rootkits and more.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.