Suspicious Kernel Module Load via insmod on Linux (via process_creation)
- Product
- linux
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-08-05
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Persistence → Priv EscRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
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.
Reporting behind it
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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