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Rootkits, used by hackers to hide malicious software, are on the rise and becoming more complex, according to security company McAfee.

In the first quarter, the number of rootkits seen by McAfee’s Avert Labs grew by 700 percent, compared with the same period last year, the company said Monday. Its research into “stealth techniques” also covered cloaking technology bundled with commercial programs, such as Sony BMG’s antipiracy tool, and with potentially unwanted software such as adware.While the use of such techniques to hide activity on computers has been around since 1986, their number and complexity have accelerated over the last three years, according to a McAfee report released Monday (Click here for PDF). In the first quarter alone, the Avert Labs found more than 827 stealth techniques. That contrasts with about 70 found in the same period in 2005 and with approximately 769 for the whole of that year. Rootkit numbers rocketing up, McAfee says | CNET News.com

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