Suspicious Kernel Module Load via insmod on Linux (via process_creation)

PremiumReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
linux
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-08-05
Updated
2026-08-28

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Defense Evasion

  6. Cred Access

  7. Discovery

  8. Lateral Movement

  9. Collection

  10. C2

  11. Exfiltration

  12. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects insmod being used to load a kernel object module on Linux, a technique attackers use to install rootkits at the kernel level. Loadable kernel module rootkits hide processes, files, and network activity from userland tooling. Detecting insmod of a .ko module surfaces potential kernel-mode persistence and evasion.

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Suspicious Kernel Module Load via insmod on Linux (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.