Anti-Rootkit Provider Komoku Acquired

The Apr. 2008 acquisition of Komoku, a small, privately owned developer of security software, will help Microsoft strengthen the antimalware capabilities of its Forefront and Live OneCare security products and make Microsoft more attractive as a single-vendor security provider. Microsoft commonly buys small companies for very specific purposes and this acquisition gains access to several key security patents, as well as expertise that may be helpful in countering emerging threats, especially around virtualization.

What Komoku Provides

Komoku specializes in products that detect rootkits, software that can take control of a computer and hide itself and other, possibly malicious, components from malware detectors, making its presence very difficult to detect. (The name comes from the software’s objective, to gain root, or system administrator, privileges on Unix systems.) Rootkits became generally known in 2005 when one was distributed as part of a digital rights management system used by Sony BMG Music. Emerging rootkit threats that exploit virtualization by installing themselves as hypervisors and attempt to evade detection by the OS are especially worrisome.