TDSS is a malicious rootkit that specializes in stealing personal data. By way of function, the TDSS rootkit works similar to a trojan. The main feature of TDSS is the rootkit’s unique design, which allows TDSS to quickly infect the target device, download malware and then run that malware. Another feature is TDSS’s persistence. This rootkit is notoriously hard to detect and remove, even for the best anti-malware tools.
TDSS is different from other rootkits in the evolution from a simple rootkit to a multi-component malicious rootkit that has a rootkit complement, a .DLL file and a dropper. All of these components help TDSS become a type of rootkit that can escape security tools with ease and stay hidden while downloading malware on the target device.