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Rootkit

nounid 3958·updated May 9, 2026
candidate

A set of tools used by an attacker after gaining root-level access to a host to conceal the attacker’s activities on the host and permit the attacker to maintain root-level access to the host through covert means.

Classifications

Entity Type

Threat90%rule-basedr:entity.threat.attack.v1

Sensitivity

unclassified

Information Class

unclassified

Variants

plural
Rootkits
possessive
Rootkit's
pluralpossessive
Rootkits'

Framework definitions

SANS Glossary of Security Terms1 senseview framework →
§1
A collection of tools (programs) that a hacker uses to mask intrusion and obtain administrator-level access to a computer or computer network.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Cybersecurity Lexicon1 senseview framework →
§1
A set of software tools with administrator-level access privileges installed on an information system and designed to hide the presence of the tools, maintain the access privileges, and conceal the activities conducted by the tools.
ISACA Cybersecurity Glossary1 senseview framework →
§1
A software suite designed to aid an intruder in gaining unauthorized administrative access to a computer system
NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 21 senseview framework →
§1
A set of tools used by an attacker after gaining root-level access to a host to conceal the attacker’s activities on the host and permit the attacker to maintain root-level access to the host through covert means.
CNSSI-4009 (Glossary of Information Assurance Terms)1 senseview framework →
§1
A set of tools used by an attacker after gaining root-level access to a host to conceal the attacker’s activities on the host and permit the attacker to maintain root-level access to the host through covert means.

Outgoing relationships

No outgoing triples
This term is not the subject of any RDF-style relationship yet.

Incoming relationships

No incoming triples
No other term currently asserts a relationship to this one.