Individual skill
eradicating-malware-from-infected-systems
Systematically remove malware, backdoors, and attacker persistence mechanisms from infected systems while ensuring complete eradication and preventing re-infection.
internal/tools/skills/data/incident-response/eradicating-malware-from-infected-systems/SKILL.md
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- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
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- Repository last updated
- Nov 9, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
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- cybersecurity Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- bug-bounty Repository topic
- automation Repository topic
- autonomous-pentesting Repository topic
- ai-agent Repository topic
- ai-security Repository topic
- ethical-hacking Repository topic
- golang Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- incident-response Declared skill tag
- eradication Declared skill tag
- malware-removal Declared skill tag
- persistence Declared skill tag
- dfir Declared skill tag
- engineering Derived category
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# Eradicating Malware from Infected Systems
## When to Use
- Malware infection confirmed and containment is in place
- Forensic investigation has identified all persistence mechanisms
- All compromised systems have been identified and scoped
- Ready to remove attacker artifacts and restore clean state
- Post-containment phase requires systematic cleanup
## Common Misconfigurations & Verification
- **The #1 reinfection cause is missed persistence:** killing the running process and deleting the binary leaves the relaunch mechanism intact. Sweep *every* autostart class — Run/RunOnce keys, scheduled tasks (`schtasks /query /v`), services, WMI `__EventFilter`/`CommandLineEventConsumer`/`FilterToConsumerBinding`, DLL search-order/`AppInit_DLLs` hijacks, and Linux cron/systemd/`rc.local`/`.bashrc`/authorized_keys. Autoruns alone misses fileless WMI and COM hijacks — verify those explicitly.
- **Eradicate fleet-wide, not host-by-host:** the same implant usually lives on multiple hosts. A clean single endpoint reinfects within hours from a peer you didn't scope. Hunt the IOC/YARA signature across the whole estate before lifting isolation.
- **Credential reset ordering matters:** rotate compromised accounts *and* double-reset krbtgt (twice, 12+ hours apart for replication) — a single reset leaves Golden Tickets valid. Revoke cloud refresh tokens; a password change alone doesn't kill an active session.