Back Orifice 2000

Back Orifice 2000

Screenshot of BO2k client
Developer(s)	Dildog (cDc) (original code) BO2k Development Team (current maintenance)
Stable release	1.1.6 (Windows), 0.1.5 pre1 (Linux) / March 21, 2007
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, Linux-systems (client only)
Type	Remote administration
License	GPL

Back Orifice 2000 (often shortened to BO2k) is a computer program designed for remote system administration. It enables a user to control a computer running the Microsoft Windows operating system from a remote location. The name is a pun on Microsoft BackOffice Server software.

BO2k debuted on July 10, 1999 at DEF CON 7 computer security convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was originally written by Dildog, a member of US hacker group Cult of the Dead Cow. It was a successor to the cDc's Back Orifice remote administration tool, released the previous year. As of 2007^[update], BO2k is being actively developed.

Whereas the original Back Orifice was limited to the Windows 95 and Windows 98 operating systems, BO2k also supports Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Some BO2k client functionality has also been implemented for Linux-systems. In addition, BO2k was released as free software, which allows one to port it to other operating systems.

BO2k has a plugin architecture. The optional plugins include

Back Orifice and Back Orifice 2000 are widely regarded as malware, tools intended to be used as a combined rootkit and backdoor. For example, at present many antivirus software packages identify them as trojan horses. This classification is justified by the fact that BO2k can be installed by a trojan horse, in cases where it is used by an unauthorized user, unbeknownst to the system administrator.