As far as I can tell, both involve gaining unauthorized access, but what is the exact difference?
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It’s like all wolves are canines, but not all canines are wolves.
All root kits use a back door to gain access. In this case it’s like using an automatic lock pick that should get you in and do what you want, all in one neat package that anyone can use. Prior to the root kit, you had to know the OS, some programming, and then do what you wanted within the system.
Rootkit has another connotation. The kit installs itself in a way that it has root (or admin) access to the full system resources. Usually it uses that to hide itself. They don’t always provide any remote access to the system either.
The whole purpose of the old sony rootkit was to prevent folks from ripping cds to the hard drive. It didn’t allow remote control or snooping, it just fscked up cd access. And it hid itself so it was a major pain to remove.
A root kit is a software package installed on a computer to subvert security and gain administrative or root access to a computer.
A back door is an entrance to a building that is located on the opposite side of the building as the primary entrance.
For a computer, a back door is a flaw in the software that can be exploited to gain access from a remote connection without authentication. It does not require a software package to be installed.
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