The term rootkit is made up of the word root which is the traditional name of the privileged account on Unix / Linux operating systems, and the word kit which refers to the software components that implement the tool. When a malicious software providing unauthorized access is installed on a system, it is also important to hide the existence of such software to enable continued privileged access. A rootkit is designed to do just that: hiding the existence of certain processes or programs from normal methods of detection. An attacker can install a rootkit when they have obtained root or administrator access to the target system as a result of a direct attack.