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Microsoft Buys Rootkit-Busting KomokuBy Pedro HernandezMarch 24, 2008
Komoku's claim to fame is the CoPilot, a PCI card that monitors a computer and works independently of the operating system to provide hardware-based, real-time rootkit detection. The device runs Komoku software called Gamma, which was also offered as a standalone package. Komoku's president and CTO, William A. Arbaugh, hints that his company's technology may wend its way into future Microsoft products. "Microsoft's commitment to building the next generation of malware detection is very strong, and we at Komoku look forward to continuing the tremendous progress Microsoft has already made in the anti-malware space and building the anti-malware products that can handle today’s sophisticated threats," he states. Comparatively, rootkits are greatly outnumbered by worms, spyware, and trojans. But unlike those threats, rootkits are largely invisible to traditional malware detection methods. This stealth, along with mechanisms that can completely bypass OS protections, make them an ideal platform for corporate espionage, fraud, and identity theft. Microsoft knows this and Windows has been especially susceptible to rootkits. In 2006, the company acquired Winternals, home of operating systems and rootkit expert Mark Russinovich, who was thrust into the spotlight by uncovering the great Sony rootkit scandal. Now Microsoft seems to be stepping up its efforts by snapping up a firm that boasts a client list of super-secure government agencies. These include DARPA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Microsoft made another security buy late last week. The target this time is Maryland-based Komoku Inc., a firm that specializes in hardware detection of rootkits.
