How do you identify and investigate hidden processes, rootkits, and hooks with Volatility?

Hidden processes, rootkits, and hooks are malicious techniques used to conceal activities from the operating system and security tools. Hidden processes run without appearing in standard process lists, while rootkits modify the kernel to hide their presence. Hooks are used by malware to alter the normal flow of system execution. For example, a rootkit might hide a malicious process by hooking system calls that list running processes.

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To identify and investigate hidden processes, rootkits, and hooks using Volatility, a memory forensics tool, follow these steps: 1. Acquire Memory Image Before you can analyze the system, you need a memory dump (RAM image) from the target system. You can use tools like FTK Imager, DumpIt, or winpmem to capture the memory. 2. Identify the Profile Volatility needs to know the operating system profile to correctly interpret the memory structures. Use the imageinfo or kdbgscan command to identify the correct profile: bash volatility -f memory.dmp imageinfo The output will suggest the best profile to use. 3. List Running Processes The pslist command lists the processes running at the time the memory was captured:

Volatility is an open-source memory forensics tool used for analyzing memory dumps. It can be installed using Python's package manager (pip) or by downloading the standalone executable. After installation, memory dumps are loaded into Volatility using command-line arguments specifying the profile (OS version) and the desired analysis plugin. For instance, running volatility -f memory.dmp --profile=Win7SP1x64 pslist lists processes in a Windows 7 memory dump.

To analyze processes with Volatility, plugins like pslist, pstree, and psscan are used. These plugins reveal running processes, their parent-child relationships, and any processes hidden by rootkits. For example, comparing the output of pslist and psscan can help identify hidden processes by detecting discrepancies, as psscan scans for processes by traversing raw memory structures, bypassing any manipulations in the process list.

. Identify the Profile Before analyzing processes, determine the correct profile for the memory dump. This tells Volatility how to interpret the memory structures. Use the imageinfo command to get profile suggestions: bash volatility -f memory.dmp imageinfo Note the suggested profile (e.g., Win7SP1x64). 2. List Running Processes pslist: This command lists all processes that were running at the time the memory dump was captured, based on the doubly linked list maintained by the Windows kernel. bash

Rootkits can be detected using plugins like malfind, ldrmodules, and modscan. These plugins identify hidden modules, code injections, and suspicious DLLs. For example, malfind can detect injected code in a legitimate process, often used by rootkits to remain hidden. Additionally, ldrmodules can show discrepancies between loaded modules in user-space and kernel-space, which may indicate a rootkit manipulating the system.

Identify the Profile Start by identifying the correct profile for the memory dump. This ensures that Volatility correctly interprets the memory structures. Use the imageinfo command: bash volatility -f memory.dmp imageinfo Note the suggested profile (e.g., Win7SP1x64). 2. Detect Hidden Processes psxview: This plugin compares multiple methods of process enumeration to detect hidden processes. bash volatility -f memory.dmp –profile=Win7SP1x64 psxview Processes that are not visible in the pslist output but appear in psscan or other scans might be hidden by a rootkit. psscan: Scans for process objects in memory, independent of the active process list. bash volatility -f mem

Identify the Profile Start by determining the correct profile for the memory dump. This profile tells Volatility how to correctly interpret the memory structures. Use the imageinfo command: bash volatility -f memory.dmp imageinfo Note the suggested profile (e.g., Win7SP1x64). 2. Check for System Service Descriptor Table (SSDT) Hooks The SSDT is a common target for hooks because it controls system call handling. ssdt: Lists the functions in the SSDT and their corresponding addresses. bash volatility -f memory.dmp –profile=Win7SP1x64 ssdt What to Look For: Check for addresses that point outside of expected kernel modules (e.g., ntoskrnl.exe). If an address points to an unknown

Volatility plugins like ssdt, idt, and gdt can be used to detect hooks. These plugins examine the System Service Descriptor Table (SSDT), Interrupt Descriptor Table (IDT), and Global Descriptor Table (GDT) for unauthorized modifications. For example, a malware hook might replace a legitimate SSDT entry to redirect system calls. Using the ssdt plugin can help identify such tampered entries, providing clues to deeper compromises.

Volatility can extract specific artifacts such as memory dumps of suspicious processes, executable files, or network connections using plugins like procdump, filescan, and netscan. For instance, the procdump plugin can extract the memory of a hidden or suspicious process, enabling further static or dynamic analysis to determine its behavior or origin. Extracted artifacts can then be analyzed with external tools like IDA Pro or Wireshark.

The problem will not be solved by using the same Hardware environment for analysis. The computing hardware environment design should be made to support the ability to monitor the primary process which may be modified to include hidden processes. This requires at least a separate hardware environment that is not updated and upgraded via the regular supply chain.

When investigating hidden processes, rootkits, and hooks, consider the importance of obtaining a clean memory image to ensure accurate analysis. Ensure Volatility is using the correct profile for the target system to avoid errors in parsing memory. Stay updated with new Volatility plugins and techniques as malware evolves. Also, document every step carefully, especially in legal contexts where the findings must be defensible in court.