Difference Between Virus and Rootkit

Virus vs Rootkit

Summary: Difference Between Virus and Rootkit is that a computer virus is a potentially damaging computer program that affects, or infects, a computer negatively by altering the way the computer works without the user’s knowledge or permission. While a rootkit is a program that hides in a computer and allows someone from a remote location to take full control of the computer.

Virus

A computer virus is a potentially damaging computer program that affects, or infects, a computer negatively by altering the way the computer works without the user’s knowledge or permission. Once the virus infects the computer, it can spread throughout and may damage files and system software, including the operating system. It is actually a piece of code that can activate its desirable action without user’s permission.

Viruses can also replicate themselves. A simple type of virus can create hundreds of copies of itself and is very easy to produce. But still virus is simple or not, it can harm your computer. The most dangerous types of virus is that which can be transferred automatically across the networks and can harm the whole network.

Rootkit

A rootkit is a program that hides in a computer and allows someone from a remote location to take full control of the computer. Once the rootkit is installed, the rootkit author can execute programs, change settings, monitor activity, and access files on the remote computer. It is a type of virus that can give administrator level access to another computer.

Usually Crackers do this by first installing a Rootkit on a computer and get user-level access by cracking password. And once the rootkit is installed it can give all access to the Cracker of that computer. The first rootkit was recognized in the early 1990s and was created to hack Sun and Linux operating systems. But, today rootkits are available for almost every operating systems like Windows etc.

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