Malicious Houken sysinitd Rootkit Kernel Module Load via insmod (via process_creation)

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
- T1547.006Kernel Modules and Extensions
Priv Esc
- T1547.006Kernel Modules and Extensions
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects loading of the Houken sysinitd rootkit kernel module via insmod, the persistence and defense-evasion behavior deployed on compromised Ivanti Cloud Service Appliance devices to hook the kernel and hide the intrusion. Adversaries leverage a loadable kernel module to survive reboots and conceal processes and network activity, making detection critical because the rootkit blinds most higher-level telemetry once loaded.

Reporting behind it

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Malicious Houken sysinitd Rootkit Kernel Module Load via insmod (via process_creation)

Pivot detection · T1547.006 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

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