Individual skill
detecting-rootkit-activity
Detects rootkit presence on compromised systems by identifying hidden processes, hooked system calls, modified kernel structures, and covert network connections using Volatility memory forensics, cross-view detection, and tools like GMER, rkhunter, chkrootkit, and RootkitRevealer. Use when standard tools (Task Manager, netstat, AV/EDR) show nothing abnormal but compromise is suspected.
skills/detecting-rootkit-activity/SKILL.md
Source commit 54a798831d2266a3ca61ce68a7acb80b81160d57
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- Yes
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- Yes
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- No
- Skill scan complete
- No
- Observed behavior
- Network or broad shell
- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
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- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 35,893
- Repository last updated
- Aug 31, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
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- ai-agents Repository topic
- claude-code Repository topic
- cybersecurity Repository topic
- incident-response Repository topic
- mitre-attack Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- red-team Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- cloud-security Repository topic
- malware-analysis Repository topic
- malware Declared skill tag
- rootkit Declared skill tag
- detection Declared skill tag
- kernel-analysis Declared skill tag
- memory-forensics Declared skill tag
- engineering Derived category
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# Detecting Rootkit Activity
## When to Use
- System shows signs of compromise but standard tools (Task Manager, netstat) show nothing abnormal
- Antivirus/EDR detects rootkit signatures but cannot identify the specific hiding mechanism
- Memory forensics reveals discrepancies between kernel data structures and user-mode tool output
- Investigating a persistent threat that survives remediation attempts and system reboots
- Validating system integrity after a suspected kernel-level compromise
**Do not use** as a first-line detection method; start with standard malware triage and escalate to rootkit analysis when hiding behavior is suspected.
## Prerequisites
