Anti-virus software writers are finding it harder and harder to keep up with the influx of rootkits in the wild, and according to McAfee, the amount of rootkits in the wild has grown by over 700 percent in the recent past. The danger with rootkits is great, and though for the most part it's a scare-word (could well as be “system compromise kits”), it's a big problem that is affecting more and more desktop users. Most of them are unaware.

"This trend in malware evolution is creating hardier and ever more virulent strains of malware that will continue to threaten businesses and consumers alike," Stuart McClure, McAfee senior vice president of global threats, said in a statement.
Both McAfee and Symantec are moving towards unification of their system protection software, and hopefully that will give them a better handle on faster detection and cure development for these rootkits. However, the underlying problem is OS security, because as we all know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In truth, most users don't particularly understand why an OS must be protected.