It just gets worse....
Microsoft security researchers are warning about a new generation of powerful system monitoring programs, or "rootkits," that are almost impossible to detect using current security products and that could pose a serious risk to corporations and individuals.
...
...kernel rootkits, which modify the kernel, or core request processing, component of an operating system, are becoming more common. Rootkit authors are also making huge strides in their ability to hide their creations, said Danseglio.
In particular, some newer rootkits are able to intercept queries or "system calls" that are passed to the kernel and filter out queries generated by the rootkit software. The result is that typical signs that a program is running, such as an executable file name, a named process that uses some of the computer's memory, or configuration settings in the operating system's registry, are invisible to administrators and to detection tools, said Danseglio.