RootRepeal Info RootRepeal is a new rootkit detector currently in public beta. It is designed with the following goals in mind: a.Easy to use - a user with little to no computer experience should be able to use it. b.Powerful - it should be able to detect all publicly available rootkits. c.Stable - it should work on as many different system configurations as possible, and, in the event of an incompatibility, not crash the host computer. d.Safe - it will not use any rootkit-like techniques (hooking, etc.) to protect itself. Currently, RootRepeal includes the following features: a.Driver Scan - scans the system for kernel-mode drivers. Displays all drivers currently loaded, and shows if a driver has been hidden, and whether the driver's file is visible on-disk. b.Files Scan - scans any fixed drive on the system for hidden, locked or falsified* files. c.Processes Scan - scans the system for processes. Displays all processes currently running, and shows if a processes is hidden or locked. d.SSDT Scan - shows whether any of the functions in the System Service Descriptor Table (SSDT) are hooked. e.Stealth Objects Scan - attempts to determine if any rootkits are active by looking for typical symptoms. f.Hidden Services Scan - scans for hidden system services. g.Shadow SSDT Scan - counterpart to the SSDT Scan, but deals mostly with graphics and window-related functions. * - falsified files are files which have their size mis-reported to the Windows API. Some rootkits use this to hide data. RootRepeal is currently in public beta. Whereas every effort has been made to ensure compatibility with every system configuration on Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista, it cannot be guaranteed. There is always some risk when scanning for rootkits. Before running RootRepeal, please make sure you have backups of all important data and have saved all open documents. Frequently Asked Questions Question: What is a rootkit? Answer: A rootkit is a set of tools or a program that is designed to hide activity on a computer (legitimate or otherwise). A rootkit in itself is not malicious - many antivirus programs and some games (for example, nProtect GameGuard) use rootkit-like technology to hide or protect themselves. RootRepeal does not target any specific product or malware, but simply identifies rootkit-like activity on a computer and leaves the decision of what is malware or not to the user. For more information, please refer to the Wikipedia entry on rootkits here. Question: How do I install/run RootRepeal? Answer: Simply run RootRepeal.exe by double-clicking on it. No installation is necessary. Question: How do I uninstall RootRepeal? Answer: Delete RootRepeal.exe and (optionally) settings.dat, and reboot. RootRepeal is completely self-contained and no uninstallation is necessary. Question: How do I know if I have a rootkit? Answer: Run a system scan using the "Report" tab, and send the log to an expert for analysis. Some good resources are the forums at Sysinternals here, and the GeeksToGo forums here. If you are unsure if something is a rootkit, DO NOT DELETE IT! Question: Does RootRepeal contain any malware/spyware/adware/other bad stuff? Answer: Absolutely not! However, some Antivirus products may flag RootRepeal as malware because it is packed (compressed). See the VirusTotal link in the Download section for more information. Question: What is the SSDT? Why is it important? Answer: The SSDT is a table that stores addresses of functions that are used by Windows. Whenever a certain type of function is called, Windows looks in this table to find the address for it. However, a lot of rootkits and some legitimate software hooks this table, redirecting these requests. This type of hooking can be used to hide just about anything on Windows. Question: What is a "system service"? Answer: System service are a type of program that starts whenever Windows does. Most rootkits are started as a system service. Some rootkits attempt to hide these services so that a user cannot see them. Question: What is the "Disk Access Level"? Why is it important? Answer: The disk access level controls how RootRepeal reads the disk to perform the Files and Hidden Services scan. If you experience a crash or unpredictable results when using either of those scans, please change the Disk Access Level to another level in the options dialog. The default level is recommended for most users. If you suspect that you have the MBR rootkit, you may want to change the level to the lowest possible level and run another scan. System Requirements Microsoft® Windows 2008 Server; Windows Vista®; Windows XP Professional or Home Edition; Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4; Windows 2003 Server Note: Only x86 versions of Windows are supported. 128MB of RAM. 600KB of hard-drive space.