Join free

rootkit

English · Français · Deutsch

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

rootkit

Where it comes from

From root + kit.

noun rootkits · root kit

  1. A set of software tools used by a third party to gain unauthorized access to a computer system and control the system while concealing itself from the user.

verb rootkits · rootkitting · rootkitted · root kit

  1. transitive To infect (a computer system) with a rootkit. Given crackers' propensity for "rootkitting" systems — installing altered system binaries to facilitate future access — systematic integrity checks using message digest algorithms or one-way hash functions can be an important detection safeguard.

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"rootkit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rootkit. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rootkit. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rootkit

Chicago

"rootkit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rootkit.

BibTeX
@misc{rootkit_2026,
  title = {rootkit},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rootkit},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}