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

• Volatility 3 for memory forensics and kernel structure analysis
• GMER or Rootkit Revealer (Windows) for live system scanning
• rkhunter and chkrootkit (Linux) for filesystem and process integrity checks
• Sysinternals tools (Process Explorer, Autoruns, RootkitRevealer) for Windows analysis
• Memory dump from the suspected system (WinPmem, LiME)