AP® Cybersecurity glossary

Rootkit

Course: AP® Cybersecurity Shows up in: Unit 2: Securing SpacesUnit 4: Securing Devices

Sophisticated malware that gets into a computer's operating system, controls nearly every part of it, and can hide itself from detection.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 4.1.B.22.1.C.4

Why it matters in Unit 4

A rootkit can make itself invisible to detection tools, so adversaries use it to keep access (persistence).

Example

Malware that hides its own files and processes from the operating system’s task list.

Related terms

• Remote access trojan (RAT) and rootkit
• Malware
• Persistence