Cloaked malware, also known as rootkit, is among the most common tools hackers use to slip malicious software onto a computer system. Cloaked malware is an especially dangerous security risk for computers; it hides its very existence from the operating system on which it resides. Detect and remove cloaked malware from your computer by installing an anti-virus program with the ability to eliminate rootkits.

How Cloaked Malware Works

Cloaked malware is able to hide itself from an operating system by exploiting a vulnerability in it. Once the malware has successfully hidden itself, you can't detect it through any typical process such as the Windows "Find" command. Cloaked malware may not have a negative effect on its own. Rather, it will often leave a "back door" on the computer by which other types of viruses and malware can enter. Because you may not know your computer is infected, your computer is vulnerable to a vicious cycle of reinfection: New viruses are allowed on the computer and removed, only to be replaced by others because the original vulnerability is undetected.

Detecting Cloaked Malware

No computer security software can be 100 percent effective in detecting all viruses and malware, because new threats are constantly being introduced. However, if you have reason to believe your computer has been compromised, Microsoft's Rootkit Revealer is a free utility that can detect many types of cloaked malware. Download and install Rootkit Revealer to determine whether you might have an infection from cloaked malware.

Eliminating Cloaked Malware

Only anti-virus software specifically designed to detect and remove rootkits can eliminate cloaked malware. Usually, the software scans for known rootkit threats before Windows loads; cloaked malware must be actively running in order to hide itself. Some anti-virus software can prevent cloaked malware from compromising a system at all; those programs install a module that is, in effect, a helpful rootkit. Kaspersky and F-Secure are anti-virus programs that can detect rootkits. Install and run a virus scanner with rootkit detection technology to eliminate cloaked malware from your computer.

Source:

Sony's Rootkit Fiasco

Fighting Rootkits with Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0/Kaspersky Antivirus 6.0

F-Secure BlackLight Rootkit Elimination Technology