Since all computers are connected to the Internet one way or the other, it is easier for malware to spread surreptitiously, security software being the only line of defense against them. Sophos Anti-Rootkit is a solution, specialized in identifying and removing rootkits.

A special type of malware, rootkits get installed on computers and act as legitimate programs, emulating the behavior of a valid application while in fact affecting the functionality of others.

Sophos Anti-Rootkit is a tool that, via a nicely structured interface, enables users to choose the computer areas they want to scan – although it is recommended to scan all the available regions, the process will take more time to complete, so it depends on how urgent the matter is. On the other hand, the application can run in the background, so the PC can be used for other tasks.

In order to ensure transparency, Sophos Anti-Rootkit will display in real-time the paths of all the files it scans, retaining the ones that are suspicious and giving additional details about them such as file description and whether it is advisable to remove them.

Once the scan is complete, depending on the output, the user can either be relieved that the PC is rootkit-free, or, in case malware was detected, choose the best course of action for each file. Sophos Anti-Rootkit already mentions if a certain should not be erased since it might cause PC issues, but in the end, it is up to the user to make the choice.

The main reason why it is preferable to resort to a dedicated application for finding and removing rootkits is that manually erasing registry entries might result in computer instability and decreased performance, whereas Sophos Anti-Rootkit is developed in such a way so as to protect the integrity of the PC.