
Analyzing Linux Elf Malware
- 348 installs
- 27.3k repo stars
- Updated August 2, 2026
- mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills
Structured agent guidance for reverse-engineering and triaging suspicious Linux ELF binaries during security review or incident response.
About
Analyzing Linux ELF Malware is an agent skill from the Anthropic cybersecurity skills lineage for solo and indie builders who need a repeatable way to examine Linux ELF files—not ad-hoc guessing from hexdumps. Install it when a binary, dependency, or incident artifact shows up and you want your coding agent to stay inside a security-first analysis frame instead of improvising dangerous commands. It targets the Ship phase security subphase: validating whether something is benign tooling, packed malware, or a supply-chain risk before you ship or while you respond. The catalog listing ships with minimal SKILL.md body in ingestion (license header only), so treat highlights as category- and name-aligned expectations and verify commands against your environment and the upstream repo before running anything on production hosts. It is advanced, not a substitute for professional IR, and complements generic code review skills by focusing on executable format and threat-oriented reasoning rather than application feature work.
- Focuses analysis workflow on Linux ELF executable and shared-object formats
- Fits security review and forensics for indie backends, CLIs, and self-hosted binaries
- Pairs with cybersecurity-skills repo patterns for agent-driven triage
- Assumes comfortable use of shell and local binary inspection tooling
Analyzing Linux Elf Malware by the numbers
- 348 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +29 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #581 of 2,203 Security skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Security screen: HIGH risk (skills.sh audit)
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 348 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 27.3k |
| Security audit | 2 / 3 scanners passed |
| Last updated | August 2, 2026 |
| Repository | mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills ↗ |
What it does
Structured agent guidance for reverse-engineering and triaging suspicious Linux ELF binaries during security review or incident response.
Files
Analyzing Linux ELF Malware
When to Use
- A Linux server or container has been compromised and suspicious ELF binaries are found
- Analyzing Linux botnets (Mirai, Gafgyt, XorDDoS), cryptominers, or ransomware
- Investigating malware targeting cloud infrastructure, Docker containers, or Kubernetes pods
- Reverse engineering Linux rootkits and kernel modules
- Analyzing cross-platform malware compiled for Linux x86_64, ARM, or MIPS architectures
Do not use for Windows PE binary analysis; use PEStudio, Ghidra, or IDA for Windows malware.
Prerequisites
- Ghidra or IDA with Linux ELF support for disassembly and decompilation
- Linux analysis VM (Ubuntu 22.04 recommended) with development tools installed
- strace, ltrace, and GDB for dynamic analysis and debugging
- readelf, objdump, and nm from GNU binutils for static inspection
- Radare2 for quick binary triage and scripted analysis
- Docker for isolated container-based malware execution
Workflow
Step 1: Identify ELF Binary Properties
Examine the ELF header and basic properties:
# File type identification
file suspect_binary
# Detailed ELF header analysis
readelf -h suspect_binary
# Section headers
readelf -S suspect_binary
# Program headers (segments)
readelf -l suspect_binary
# Symbol table (if not stripped)
readelf -s suspect_binary
nm suspect_binary 2>/dev/null
# Dynamic linking information
readelf -d suspect_binary
ldd suspect_binary 2>/dev/null # Only on matching architecture!
# Compute hashes
md5sum suspect_binary
sha256sum suspect_binary
# Check for packing/UPX
upx -t suspect_binary# Python-based ELF analysis
from elftools.elf.elffile import ELFFile
import hashlib
with open("suspect_binary", "rb") as f:
data = f.read()
sha256 = hashlib.sha256(data).hexdigest()
with open("suspect_binary", "rb") as f:
elf = ELFFile(f)
print(f"SHA-256: {sha256}")
print(f"Class: {elf.elfclass}-bit")
print(f"Endian: {elf.little_endian and 'Little' or 'Big'}")
print(f"Machine: {elf.header.e_machine}")
print(f"Type: {elf.header.e_type}")
print(f"Entry Point: 0x{elf.header.e_entry:X}")
# Check if stripped
symtab = elf.get_section_by_name('.symtab')
print(f"Stripped: {'Yes' if symtab is None else 'No'}")
# Section entropy analysis
import math
from collections import Counter
for section in elf.iter_sections():
data = section.data()
if len(data) > 0:
entropy = -sum((c/len(data)) * math.log2(c/len(data))
for c in Counter(data).values() if c > 0)
if entropy > 7.0:
print(f" [!] High entropy section: {section.name} ({entropy:.2f})")Step 2: Extract Strings and Indicators
Search for embedded IOCs and functionality clues:
# ASCII strings
strings suspect_binary > strings_output.txt
# Search for network indicators
grep -iE "(http|https|ftp)://" strings_output.txt
grep -iE "([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}" strings_output.txt
grep -iE "[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.(com|net|org|io|ru|cn)" strings_output.txt
# Search for shell commands
grep -iE "(bash|sh|wget|curl|chmod|/tmp/|/dev/)" strings_output.txt
# Search for crypto mining indicators
grep -iE "(stratum|xmr|monero|pool\.|mining)" strings_output.txt
# Search for SSH/credential theft
grep -iE "(ssh|authorized_keys|id_rsa|shadow|passwd)" strings_output.txt
# Search for persistence mechanisms
grep -iE "(crontab|systemd|init\.d|rc\.local|ld\.so\.preload)" strings_output.txt
# FLOSS for obfuscated strings (if available)
floss suspect_binaryStep 3: Analyze System Calls and Library Usage
Identify what system calls and libraries the malware uses:
# List imported functions (dynamically linked)
readelf -r suspect_binary | grep -E "socket|connect|exec|fork|open|write|bind|listen"
# Trace system calls during execution (in isolated VM only)
strace -f -e trace=network,process,file -o strace_output.txt ./suspect_binary
# Trace library calls
ltrace -f -o ltrace_output.txt ./suspect_binary
# Key system calls to watch:
# Network: socket, connect, bind, listen, accept, sendto, recvfrom
# Process: fork, execve, clone, kill, ptrace
# File: open, read, write, unlink, rename, chmod
# Persistence: inotify_add_watch (file monitoring)Step 4: Dynamic Analysis with GDB
Debug the malware to observe runtime behavior:
# Start GDB with the binary
gdb ./suspect_binary
# Set breakpoints on key functions
(gdb) break main
(gdb) break socket
(gdb) break connect
(gdb) break execve
(gdb) break fork
# Run and analyze
(gdb) run
(gdb) info registers # View register state
(gdb) x/20s $rdi # Examine string argument
(gdb) bt # Backtrace
(gdb) continue
# For stripped binaries, break on entry point
(gdb) break *0x400580 # Entry point from readelf
(gdb) run
# Monitor network connections during execution
# In another terminal:
ss -tlnp # List listening sockets
ss -tnp # List established connectionsStep 5: Reverse Engineer with Ghidra
Perform deep code analysis on the ELF binary:
Ghidra Analysis for Linux ELF:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
1. Import: File -> Import -> Select ELF binary
- Ghidra auto-detects ELF format and architecture
- Accept default analysis options
2. Key analysis targets:
- main() function (or entry point if stripped)
- Socket creation and connection functions
- Command dispatch logic (switch/case on received data)
- Encryption/encoding routines
- Persistence installation code
- Self-propagation/scanning functions
3. For Mirai-like botnets, look for:
- Credential list for brute-forcing (telnet/SSH)
- Attack module selection (UDP flood, SYN flood, ACK flood)
- Scanner module (port scanning for vulnerable devices)
- Killer module (killing competing botnets)
4. For cryptominers, look for:
- Mining pool connection (stratum protocol)
- Wallet address strings
- CPU/GPU utilization functions
- Process hiding techniquesStep 6: Analyze Linux-Specific Persistence
Check for persistence mechanisms:
# Check for LD_PRELOAD rootkit
strings suspect_binary | grep "ld.so.preload"
# Malware writing to /etc/ld.so.preload can hook all dynamic library calls
# Check for crontab persistence
strings suspect_binary | grep -i "cron"
# Check for systemd service creation
strings suspect_binary | grep -iE "systemd|\.service|systemctl"
# Check for init script creation
strings suspect_binary | grep -iE "init\.d|rc\.local|update-rc"
# Check for SSH key injection
strings suspect_binary | grep -i "authorized_keys"
# Check for kernel module (rootkit) loading
strings suspect_binary | grep -iE "insmod|modprobe|init_module"
# Check for process hiding
strings suspect_binary | grep -iE "proc|readdir|getdents"Key Concepts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) | Standard binary format for Linux executables, shared libraries, and core dumps containing headers, sections, and segments |
| Stripped Binary | ELF binary with debug symbols removed, making reverse engineering more difficult as function names are lost |
| LD_PRELOAD | Linux environment variable specifying shared libraries to load before all others; abused by rootkits to intercept system library calls |
| strace | Linux system call tracer that logs all system calls and signals made by a process, revealing file, network, and process operations |
| GOT/PLT | Global Offset Table and Procedure Linkage Table; ELF structures for dynamic linking that can be hijacked for function hooking |
| Statically Linked | Binary compiled with all library code included; common in IoT malware to run on systems without matching shared libraries |
| Mirai | Prolific Linux botnet targeting IoT devices via telnet brute-force; source code leaked, leading to many variants |
Tools & Systems
- Ghidra: NSA reverse engineering tool with full ELF support for x86, x86_64, ARM, MIPS, and other Linux architectures
- Radare2: Open-source reverse engineering framework with command-line interface for quick binary analysis and scripting
- strace: Linux system call tracing tool for observing binary behavior including file, network, and process operations
- GDB: GNU Debugger for setting breakpoints, examining memory, and stepping through Linux binary execution
- pyelftools: Python library for parsing ELF files programmatically for automated analysis pipelines
Common Scenarios
Scenario: Analyzing a Cryptominer Found on a Compromised Linux Server
Context: A cloud server shows 100% CPU usage. Investigation reveals an unknown binary running from /tmp with a suspicious name. The binary needs analysis to confirm it is a cryptominer and identify the attacker's wallet and pool.
Approach: 1. Copy the binary to an analysis VM and compute SHA-256 hash 2. Run file and readelf to identify architecture and linking type 3. Extract strings and search for mining pool addresses (stratum+tcp://) and wallet addresses 4. Run with strace in a sandbox to observe network connections (mining pool connection) 5. Import into Ghidra to identify the mining algorithm and configuration extraction 6. Check for persistence mechanisms (crontab, systemd service, SSH keys) 7. Document all IOCs including pool address, wallet, C2 for updates, and persistence artifacts
Pitfalls:
- Running
lddon malware outside a sandbox (ldd can execute code in the binary) - Not checking for ARM/MIPS architecture before attempting x86_64 execution
- Missing companion scripts (.sh files) that may handle persistence and cleanup
- Ignoring the initial access vector (how the miner was deployed: SSH brute force, web exploit, container escape)
Output Format
LINUX ELF MALWARE ANALYSIS REPORT
====================================
File: /tmp/.X11-unix/.rsync
SHA-256: e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb924...
Type: ELF 64-bit LSB executable, x86-64
Linking: Statically linked (all libraries embedded)
Stripped: Yes
Size: 2,847,232 bytes
Packer: UPX 3.96 (unpacked for analysis)
CLASSIFICATION
Family: XMRig Cryptominer (modified)
Variant: Custom build with C2 update mechanism
FUNCTIONALITY
[*] XMR (Monero) mining via RandomX algorithm
[*] Stratum pool connection for work submission
[*] C2 check-in for configuration updates
[*] Process name masquerading (argv[0] = "[kworker/0:0]")
[*] Competitor process killing (kills other miners)
[*] SSH key injection for re-access
NETWORK INDICATORS
Mining Pool: stratum+tcp://pool.minexmr[.]com:4444
C2 Server: hxxp://update.malicious[.]com/config
Wallet: 49jZ5Q3b...Monero_Wallet_Address...
PERSISTENCE
[1] Crontab entry: */5 * * * * /tmp/.X11-unix/.rsync
[2] SSH key added to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
[3] Systemd service: /etc/systemd/system/rsync-daemon.service
[4] Modified /etc/ld.so.preload for process hiding
PROCESS HIDING
LD_PRELOAD: /usr/lib/.libsystem.so
Hook: readdir() to hide /tmp/.X11-unix/.rsync from ls
Hook: fopen() to hide from /proc/*/maps reading
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API Reference: Linux ELF Malware Analysis Tools
readelf - ELF Binary Inspection
Syntax
readelf -h <binary> # ELF header
readelf -S <binary> # Section headers
readelf -l <binary> # Program headers (segments)
readelf -s <binary> # Symbol table
readelf -d <binary> # Dynamic section
readelf -r <binary> # Relocation entries
readelf -n <binary> # Notes sectionKey ELF Header Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
Class | 32-bit or 64-bit |
Machine | Architecture (x86-64, ARM, MIPS) |
Type | EXEC (executable), DYN (shared object) |
Entry point | Code execution start address |
pyelftools - Python ELF Parsing
Usage
from elftools.elf.elffile import ELFFile
with open("binary", "rb") as f:
elf = ELFFile(f)
elf.elfclass # 32 or 64
elf.little_endian # True/False
elf.header.e_machine # Architecture
elf.header.e_entry # Entry point
elf.num_sections() # Section count
elf.get_section_by_name(".symtab") # Symbol tablestrings - String Extraction
Syntax
strings <binary> # ASCII strings (default min 4)
strings -n 8 <binary> # Minimum 8 characters
strings -e l <binary> # 16-bit little-endian (Unicode)
strings -t x <binary> # Print offset in hexstrace - System Call Tracing
Syntax
strace -f ./binary # Follow forks
strace -e trace=network ./binary # Network calls only
strace -e trace=file ./binary # File operations only
strace -e trace=process ./binary # Process operations
strace -o output.txt ./binary # Log to file
strace -c ./binary # Summary statisticsKey System Calls
| Call | Category |
|---|---|
socket, connect, bind | Network |
fork, execve, clone | Process |
open, read, write, unlink | File I/O |
ptrace | Anti-debug/injection |
ltrace - Library Call Tracing
Syntax
ltrace -f ./binary # Follow child processes
ltrace -e malloc+free ./binary # Specific functions
ltrace -o output.txt ./binary # Log to fileGDB - GNU Debugger
Syntax
gdb ./binary
(gdb) break main
(gdb) break *0x400580 # Break at address
(gdb) run
(gdb) info registers
(gdb) x/20s $rdi # Examine string at RDI
(gdb) x/10i $rip # Disassemble at RIP
(gdb) bt # BacktraceUPX - Packer Detection/Unpacking
Syntax
upx -t <binary> # Test if packed
upx -d <binary> # Decompress/unpack
upx -l <binary> # List compression detailsobjdump - Disassembly
Syntax
objdump -d <binary> # Disassemble .text
objdump -D <binary> # Disassemble all sections
objdump -M intel -d <binary> # Intel syntax
objdump -t <binary> # Symbol tablenm - Symbol Listing
Syntax
nm <binary> # List symbols
nm -D <binary> # Dynamic symbols only
nm -u <binary> # Undefined (imported) symbols#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Linux ELF malware static analysis agent using pyelftools and binary inspection."""
import hashlib
import math
import os
import sys
import subprocess
from collections import Counter
try:
from elftools.elf.elffile import ELFFile
HAS_ELFTOOLS = True
except ImportError:
HAS_ELFTOOLS = False
def compute_hashes(filepath):
"""Compute MD5, SHA1, and SHA256 hashes of a file."""
md5 = hashlib.md5()
sha1 = hashlib.sha1()
sha256 = hashlib.sha256()
with open(filepath, "rb") as f:
for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(65536), b""):
md5.update(chunk)
sha1.update(chunk)
sha256.update(chunk)
return {"md5": md5.hexdigest(), "sha1": sha1.hexdigest(), "sha256": sha256.hexdigest()}
def calculate_entropy(data):
"""Calculate Shannon entropy of binary data."""
if not data:
return 0.0
counter = Counter(data)
length = len(data)
return -sum((c / length) * math.log2(c / length) for c in counter.values())
def analyze_elf_header(filepath):
"""Parse ELF header and extract key properties."""
if not HAS_ELFTOOLS:
return {"error": "pyelftools not installed: pip install pyelftools"}
with open(filepath, "rb") as f:
elf = ELFFile(f)
symtab = elf.get_section_by_name(".symtab")
info = {
"class": f"{elf.elfclass}-bit",
"endian": "Little" if elf.little_endian else "Big",
"machine": elf.header.e_machine,
"type": elf.header.e_type,
"entry_point": f"0x{elf.header.e_entry:X}",
"stripped": symtab is None,
"num_sections": elf.num_sections(),
"num_segments": elf.num_segments(),
}
return info
def analyze_sections(filepath):
"""Analyze ELF sections for entropy and suspicious characteristics."""
if not HAS_ELFTOOLS:
return []
sections = []
with open(filepath, "rb") as f:
elf = ELFFile(f)
for section in elf.iter_sections():
data = section.data()
if len(data) == 0:
continue
entropy = calculate_entropy(data)
sections.append({
"name": section.name,
"type": section["sh_type"],
"size": len(data),
"entropy": round(entropy, 4),
"high_entropy": entropy > 7.0,
"flags": section["sh_flags"],
})
return sections
def extract_strings(filepath, min_length=6):
"""Extract ASCII strings from the binary and categorize by type."""
stdout, _, rc = subprocess.run(
["strings", "-n", str(min_length), filepath],
capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120
).stdout, "", 0
if not stdout:
return {}
all_strings = stdout.strip().splitlines()
categorized = {
"urls": [], "ips": [], "domains": [], "shell_commands": [],
"crypto_mining": [], "persistence": [], "ssh_related": [],
"total": len(all_strings),
}
for s in all_strings:
s_lower = s.lower()
if any(proto in s_lower for proto in ["http://", "https://", "ftp://"]):
categorized["urls"].append(s)
if any(p in s_lower for p in ["stratum", "xmr", "monero", "pool.", "mining"]):
categorized["crypto_mining"].append(s)
if any(p in s_lower for p in ["crontab", "systemd", "init.d", "rc.local",
"ld.so.preload", "systemctl"]):
categorized["persistence"].append(s)
if any(p in s_lower for p in ["ssh", "authorized_keys", "id_rsa", "shadow", "passwd"]):
categorized["ssh_related"].append(s)
if any(p in s_lower for p in ["bash", "wget", "curl", "chmod", "/tmp/", "/dev/"]):
categorized["shell_commands"].append(s)
import re
if re.match(r"\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}\.\d{1,3}", s):
categorized["ips"].append(s)
if re.match(r"[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.(com|net|org|io|ru|cn|xyz)", s):
categorized["domains"].append(s)
return categorized
def check_packing(filepath):
"""Check if the binary is packed with UPX or other packers."""
with open(filepath, "rb") as f:
data = f.read(4096)
indicators = []
if b"UPX!" in data:
indicators.append("UPX packer detected (UPX! magic)")
if b"UPX0" in data or b"UPX1" in data:
indicators.append("UPX section names found")
stdout, _, _ = subprocess.run(["upx", "-t", filepath],
capture_output=True, text=True,
stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, timeout=120).stdout, "", 0
if stdout and "packed" in stdout.lower():
indicators.append("UPX verification confirms packing")
return indicators
def analyze_dynamic_linking(filepath):
"""Analyze dynamic linking information and imported functions."""
stdout, _, rc = subprocess.run(["readelf", "-d", filepath],
capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120).stdout, "", 0
dynamic_info = {"libraries": [], "rpath": None}
if stdout:
for line in stdout.splitlines():
if "NEEDED" in line:
lib = line.split("[")[-1].rstrip("]") if "[" in line else ""
dynamic_info["libraries"].append(lib)
if "RPATH" in line or "RUNPATH" in line:
dynamic_info["rpath"] = line.split("[")[-1].rstrip("]")
readelf_proc = subprocess.run(
["readelf", "-r", filepath],
capture_output=True, text=True,
timeout=120,
)
import re as _re
suspicious_funcs = _re.compile(r'socket|connect|exec|fork|open|write|bind|listen|send|recv')
stdout2 = "\n".join(
line for line in (readelf_proc.stdout or "").splitlines()
if suspicious_funcs.search(line)
)
dynamic_info["suspicious_imports"] = [
line.strip() for line in (stdout2 or "").splitlines() if line.strip()
]
return dynamic_info
def detect_malware_type(strings_data):
"""Classify malware type based on extracted strings."""
classifications = []
if strings_data.get("crypto_mining"):
classifications.append("Cryptominer")
if any("flood" in s.lower() or "ddos" in s.lower()
for s in strings_data.get("shell_commands", [])):
classifications.append("DDoS Botnet")
if strings_data.get("ssh_related") and strings_data.get("persistence"):
classifications.append("Backdoor/Trojan")
if any("insmod" in s or "modprobe" in s or "init_module" in s
for s in strings_data.get("shell_commands", [])):
classifications.append("Rootkit")
if any("ransom" in s.lower() or "encrypt" in s.lower() or "bitcoin" in s.lower()
for cat in strings_data.values() if isinstance(cat, list) for s in cat):
classifications.append("Ransomware")
return classifications or ["Unknown"]
if __name__ == "__main__":
print("=" * 60)
print("Linux ELF Malware Analysis Agent")
print("Static analysis with pyelftools, strings, readelf")
print("=" * 60)
target = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else None
if target and os.path.exists(target):
print(f"\n[*] Analyzing: {target}")
print(f"[*] Size: {os.path.getsize(target)} bytes")
hashes = compute_hashes(target)
print(f"[*] MD5: {hashes['md5']}")
print(f"[*] SHA256: {hashes['sha256']}")
elf_info = analyze_elf_header(target)
print(f"\n--- ELF Header ---")
for k, v in elf_info.items():
print(f" {k}: {v}")
packing = check_packing(target)
if packing:
for p in packing:
print(f"[!] {p}")
sections = analyze_sections(target)
high_ent = [s for s in sections if s.get("high_entropy")]
if high_ent:
print(f"\n[!] High entropy sections (possible packing/encryption):")
for s in high_ent:
print(f" {s['name']}: entropy={s['entropy']}, size={s['size']}")
strings_data = extract_strings(target)
print(f"\n--- Strings Analysis ({strings_data.get('total', 0)} total) ---")
for category in ["urls", "ips", "domains", "crypto_mining", "persistence", "ssh_related"]:
items = strings_data.get(category, [])
if items:
print(f" {category}: {len(items)}")
for item in items[:5]:
print(f" - {item}")
classification = detect_malware_type(strings_data)
print(f"\n[*] Classification: {', '.join(classification)}")
else:
print(f"\n[DEMO] Usage: python agent.py <elf_binary>")
print("[*] Provide a Linux ELF binary for analysis.")
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