Defences
System hardening represents one of the first layers of defence against a rootkit, to prevent it from being able to install. Applying security patches, implementing the principle of least privilege, reducing the attack surface and installing antivirus software are some standard security best practices that are effective against all classes of malware. Once these measures are in place, routine monitoring is required. In most cases however, the only defense against a rootkit is to reformat your hard drive to completely delete all files.
New secure boot specifications like Unified Extensible Firmware Interface are currently being designed to address the threat of bootkits.
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