What You Need to Use This Book

The software required to compile the examples in this book is freely available and fully detailed in Chapter 1. In addition, the book has been designed to allow the reader to follow along using the precompiled executables provided for the Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 operating systems. There are no specific requirements beyond the optional software. It would be helpful to know the C programming language, but the code is commented and documented to the point where knowledge of the language is not required. It would also be helpful to have an understanding of Windows device drivers, but if you don’t, this book should make an excellent primer.

Though the x86 assembly language and the C# programming language are used in this book, there is no requirement to understand either. In general, the book has been designed to require as little as possible from the reader, yet it allows for complete interaction at every stage of rootkit implementation.