analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits is a skill for Claude Code from plurigrid/asi. It costs 65 tokens per session (1,415 once invoked), scanned B, a copy of analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits, MIT.

A guide to finding Linux kernel rootkits by comparing memory, kernel data, and normal system views. A kernel rootkit is malware that runs at the deepest operating-system level and hides processes, files, connections, or modules.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to examine Linux memory dumps, check system-call hooks and hidden modules, compare /proc with /sys, and scan live systems for signs of kernel tampering.
Why use it?
It addresses threats that ordinary user-space tools may not show because the malware can alter what those tools see. Comparing independent views and inspecting memory can expose these inconsistencies.

Skill for Claude Code

Written for Claude Code: shipped in a Claude Code plugin.

Part of the asi plugin — 56 skills shipped together

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add skills/plurigrid/asi/analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits
Any agent
npx skills add plurigrid/asi --skill analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/plurigrid/asi

Made for: Claude Code.

Or install asi, the plugin that ships this one along with the rest of its 56 skills.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

agentmods badge for analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/skills/plurigrid/asi/analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/skills/plurigrid/asi/analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/skills/plurigrid/asi/analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/skills/plurigrid/asi/analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>
Per session 65 Skills are progressive disclosure: only the name and description are preloaded; the body loads when the skill is used.
When invoked 1,415 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan B 1 finding. Scan, not verified.
Origin 94% copy Near-identical to another mod in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5.1 $0.00065 $0.01415
Opus 5 $0.00032 $0.00707
Sonnet 5 $0.00013 $0.00283
Haiku 4.5 $0.00006 $0.00142

Measured 2d ago against content hash b26229655f52, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-09-05, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade B, and why

analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits scanned grade B with 1 finding against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Asks for rootmediumPrivilege escalation

A mod that escalates privileges can change anything on the machine, not only the project.

$ sudo python3 rootkit_analyzer.py --memory /evidence/linux-mem.lime --profile Ubuntu2204
Origin

This is a copy

94% identical to analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits — 25 lines differ, which has more behind it and is treated as the original. This page carries a canonical link to it rather than competing with it.

plugins/asi/skills/analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits/SKILL.md · 121 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 121 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Analyzing Linux Kernel Rootkits

Overview

Linux kernel rootkits operate at ring 0, modifying kernel data structures to hide processes, files, network connections, and kernel modules from userspace tools. Detection requires either memory forensics (analyzing physical memory dumps with Volatility3) or cross-view analysis (comparing /proc, /sys, and kernel data structures for inconsistencies). This skill covers using Volatility3 Linux plugins to detect syscall table hooks, hidden kernel modules, and modified function pointers, supplemented by live system scanning with rkhunter and chkrootkit.

When to Use

  • When investigating security incidents that require analyzing linux kernel rootkits
  • When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
  • When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
  • When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques

Prerequisites

  • Volatility3 installed (pip install volatility3)
  • Linux memory dump (acquired via LiME, AVML, or /proc/kcore)
  • Volatility3 Linux symbol table (ISF) matching the target kernel version
  • rkhunter and chkrootkit for live system scanning
  • Reference known-good kernel image for comparison

Steps

Step 1: Acquire Memory Dump

Capture Linux physical memory using LiME kernel module or AVML for cloud instances.

Step 2: Analyze with Volatility3

Run linux.check_syscall, linux.lsmod, linux.hidden_modules, and linux.check_idt plugins to detect rootkit artifacts.

Step 3: Cross-View Analysis

Compare module lists from /proc/modules, lsmod, and /sys/module to identify modules hidden from one view but present in another.

Step 4: Live System Scanning

Run rkhunter and chkrootkit to detect known rootkit signatures, suspicious files, and modified system binaries.

Expected Output

JSON report containing detected syscall hooks, hidden kernel modules, modified IDT entries, suspicious /proc discrepancies, and rkhunter findings.

Example Output

Read the full file on GitHub · 121 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 2d ago First seen · 121 lines · 65 tokens per session scan B b26229655f52

Subscribe to this mod's changes

analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits is a skill published in the GitHub repository plurigrid/asi (62 stars, last pushed 1mo ago), licensed MIT. It adds 65 tokens to every session and 1,415 once invoked, about $0.0003 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it B with 1 finding (asks for root). It is 94% identical to analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits, differing in 25 lines, and is treated as a copy.

Related

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analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

Detect kernel-level rootkits in Linux memory dumps using Volatility3 linux plugins (checksyscall, lsmod, hiddenmodules), rkhunter system scanning, and /proc vs /sys discrepancy analysis to identify hooked syscalls, hidden kernel modules, and tampered system structures.

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analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

Detect kernel-level rootkits in Linux memory dumps using Volatility3 linux plugins (checksyscall, lsmod, hiddenmodules), rkhunter system scanning, and /proc vs /sys discrepancy analysis to identify hooked syscalls, hidden kernel modules, and tampered system structures.

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analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

使用 Volatility3 Linux 插件(checksyscall、lsmod、hiddenmodules)分析 Linux 内存转储,结合 rkhunter 系统扫描和 /proc 与 /sys 差异分析,检测 hooked syscall、隐藏内核模块和被篡改的系统结构,以识别内核级 rootkit。.

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analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

Detect kernel-level rootkits in Linux memory dumps using Volatility3 linux plugins (checksyscall, lsmod, hiddenmodules), rkhunter system scanning, and /proc vs /sys discrepancy analysis to identify hooked syscalls, hidden kernel modules, and tampered system structures.

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analyzing-linux-kernel-rootkits

Detect kernel-level rootkits in Linux memory dumps using Volatility3 linux plugins (checksyscall, lsmod, hiddenmodules), rkhunter system scanning, and /proc vs /sys discrepancy analysis to identify hooked syscalls, hidden kernel modules, and tampered system structures.

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