Microsoft acquires Komoku

Anti-rootkit software to become part of Forefront and OneCare.

Just before Easter,

Microsoft

announced it had acquired

Komoku

, a Maryland-based company that builds anti-rootkit software.

Komoku

was founded in 2004 and quickly became one of the leaders in the area of rootkit detection. Among its customers are the American ministries of Homeland Security and Defense. Following the acquisition, the name

Komoku

will disappear and the software will become part of both

Microsoft Forefront

and

Windows Live OneCare

.

Rootkit detection is one of the things

Microsoft

‘s security products were falling behind on, Jimmy Kuo

admits

. “A year ago, I noted our test results were ‘not stellar’,” he says. “We were lacking

VB100

certification, and independent test results placed us 10 to 15 points behind where we hoped to score.” Both

Forefront

and

OneCare

have since achieved VB100 status and Kuo now looks both to maintain the good test performances of the products and to improve on rootkit detection: “The addition of

Komoku

, especially its talented core of researchers, will add to our proactive capabilities in detecting zero-day vulnerabilities and improve rootkit detection.”

The official statement at

Komoku

‘s website can be found

here

.

Posted on 25 March 2008 by

Virus Bulletin