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Analyzing Linux System Artifacts

  • 353 installs
  • 27.3k repo stars
  • Updated August 2, 2026
  • mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills

Analyzing Linux System Artifacts is an agent skill that structures investigation of Linux logs, configs, and persistence indicators for security triage.

About

Analyzing Linux System Artifacts is an agent skill aimed at solo and indie builders who run their own Linux servers or ship backends on VPS and containers. When something looks wrong—a odd cron job, unfamiliar user, or suspicious binary path—you need a repeatable way to walk through system evidence without guessing. This skill packages cybersecurity-oriented procedural knowledge for Linux artifact analysis so your coding agent asks the right questions, cites the right locations, and keeps investigation steps consistent. It is most natural during security review before launch, after a dependency scare, or when operating production and chasing anomalies in monitoring alerts. It is not a replacement for professional incident response or automated EDR; it is a structured copilot for artifact-focused review. Pair it with your own backups, access controls, and the Security Audits panel on this Prism page before trusting any automated conclusions.

  • Structured prompts for interpreting Linux system artifacts during security investigations
  • Fits agent-assisted triage when you cannot afford a full SOC on a solo stack
  • Complements broader cybersecurity skills in the same Anthropic-oriented collection
  • Use when logs, cron, users, or persistence paths need methodical review on Linux hosts
  • Apache 2.0 licensed skill package for reuse in Claude Code and similar agents

Analyzing Linux System Artifacts by the numbers

  • 353 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +28 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #578 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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Listed on Skillselion
Installs353
repo stars27.3k
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedAugust 2, 2026
Repositorymukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills

What it does

Guide an agent through structured review of Linux logs, configs, and process artifacts when investigating compromise or hardening a server.

Who is it for?

Best when you're self-hosting APIs or workers on Linux and want agent-guided forensic steps during a suspected compromise or pre-launch hardening pass.

Skip if: Skip if you already run managed EDR/SIEM with dedicated IR retainers, or developers and only develop on macOS/Windows without Linux production targets.

When should I use this skill?

When investigating Linux hosts for signs of compromise, unexpected persistence, or pre-release security hardening on artifact-heavy systems.

What you get

You get a guided, repeatable Linux artifact review path your agent can follow so findings are documented and you can decide whether to patch, rotate secrets, or restore from backup.

  • Structured artifact review notes
  • List of suspicious paths, users, or jobs to remediate
  • Recommended next hardening or rotation steps

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Analyzing Linux System Artifacts

When to Use

  • When investigating a compromised Linux server or workstation
  • For identifying persistence mechanisms (cron, systemd, SSH keys)
  • When tracing user activity through shell history and authentication logs
  • During incident response to determine the scope of a Linux-based breach
  • For detecting rootkits, backdoors, and unauthorized modifications

Prerequisites

  • Forensic image or live access to the Linux system (read-only)
  • Understanding of Linux file system hierarchy (FHS)
  • Knowledge of common Linux logging locations (/var/log/)
  • Tools: chkrootkit, rkhunter, AIDE, auditd logs
  • Familiarity with systemd, cron, and PAM configurations
  • Root access for complete artifact collection

Workflow

Step 1: Mount and Collect System Artifacts

# Mount forensic image read-only
mount -o ro,loop,offset=$((2048*512)) /cases/case-2024-001/images/linux_evidence.dd /mnt/evidence

# Create collection directories
mkdir -p /cases/case-2024-001/linux/{logs,config,users,persistence,network}

# Collect authentication logs
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/auth.log* /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/secure* /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/syslog* /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/kern.log* /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/audit/audit.log* /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/wtmp /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/btmp /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/lastlog /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/
cp /mnt/evidence/var/log/faillog /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/

# Collect user artifacts
for user_dir in /mnt/evidence/home/*/; do
    username=$(basename "$user_dir")
    mkdir -p /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username
    cp "$user_dir"/.bash_history /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp "$user_dir"/.zsh_history /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp -r "$user_dir"/.ssh/ /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp "$user_dir"/.bashrc /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp "$user_dir"/.profile /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp "$user_dir"/.viminfo /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp "$user_dir"/.wget-hsts /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
    cp "$user_dir"/.python_history /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/$username/ 2>/dev/null
done

# Collect root user artifacts
cp /mnt/evidence/root/.bash_history /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/root/ 2>/dev/null
cp -r /mnt/evidence/root/.ssh/ /cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/root/ 2>/dev/null

# Collect system configuration
cp /mnt/evidence/etc/passwd /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp /mnt/evidence/etc/shadow /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp /mnt/evidence/etc/group /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp /mnt/evidence/etc/sudoers /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp -r /mnt/evidence/etc/sudoers.d/ /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp /mnt/evidence/etc/hosts /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp /mnt/evidence/etc/resolv.conf /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/
cp -r /mnt/evidence/etc/ssh/ /cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/

Step 2: Analyze User Accounts and Authentication

# Analyze user accounts for anomalies
python3 << 'PYEOF'
print("=== USER ACCOUNT ANALYSIS ===\n")

# Parse /etc/passwd
with open('/cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/passwd') as f:
    for line in f:
        parts = line.strip().split(':')
        if len(parts) >= 7:
            username, _, uid, gid, comment, home, shell = parts[0], parts[1], int(parts[2]), int(parts[3]), parts[4], parts[5], parts[6]

            # Flag accounts with UID 0 (root equivalent)
            if uid == 0 and username != 'root':
                print(f"  ALERT: UID 0 account: {username} (shell: {shell})")

            # Flag accounts with login shells that shouldn't have them
            if shell not in ('/bin/false', '/usr/sbin/nologin', '/bin/sync') and uid >= 1000:
                print(f"  User: {username} (UID:{uid}, Shell:{shell}, Home:{home})")

            # Flag system accounts with login shells
            if uid < 1000 and uid > 0 and shell in ('/bin/bash', '/bin/sh', '/bin/zsh'):
                print(f"  WARNING: System account with shell: {username} (UID:{uid}, Shell:{shell})")

# Parse /etc/shadow for account status
print("\n=== PASSWORD STATUS ===")
with open('/cases/case-2024-001/linux/config/shadow') as f:
    for line in f:
        parts = line.strip().split(':')
        if len(parts) >= 3:
            username = parts[0]
            pwd_hash = parts[1]
            last_change = parts[2]

            if pwd_hash and pwd_hash not in ('*', '!', '!!', ''):
                hash_type = 'Unknown'
                if pwd_hash.startswith('$6$'): hash_type = 'SHA-512'
                elif pwd_hash.startswith('$5$'): hash_type = 'SHA-256'
                elif pwd_hash.startswith('$y$'): hash_type = 'yescrypt'
                elif pwd_hash.startswith('$1$'): hash_type = 'MD5 (WEAK)'
                print(f"  {username}: {hash_type} hash, last changed: day {last_change}")
PYEOF

# Analyze login history
last -f /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/wtmp > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/login_history.txt
lastb -f /cases/case-2024-001/linux/logs/btmp > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/failed_logins.txt 2>/dev/null

Step 3: Examine Persistence Mechanisms

# Check cron jobs for all users
echo "=== CRON JOBS ===" > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt

# System cron
for cronfile in /mnt/evidence/etc/crontab /mnt/evidence/etc/cron.d/*; do
    echo "--- $cronfile ---" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt
    cat "$cronfile" 2>/dev/null >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt
    echo "" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt
done

# User cron tabs
for cronfile in /mnt/evidence/var/spool/cron/crontabs/*; do
    echo "--- User crontab: $(basename $cronfile) ---" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt
    cat "$cronfile" 2>/dev/null >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt
    echo "" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/cron_analysis.txt
done

# Check systemd services for persistence
echo "=== SYSTEMD SERVICES ===" > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/systemd_analysis.txt
find /mnt/evidence/etc/systemd/system/ -name "*.service" -newer /mnt/evidence/etc/os-release \
   >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/systemd_analysis.txt

for svc in /mnt/evidence/etc/systemd/system/*.service; do
    echo "--- $(basename $svc) ---" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/systemd_analysis.txt
    cat "$svc" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/systemd_analysis.txt
    echo "" >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/systemd_analysis.txt
done

# Check authorized SSH keys (backdoor detection)
echo "=== SSH AUTHORIZED KEYS ===" > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/ssh_keys.txt
find /mnt/evidence/home/ /mnt/evidence/root/ -name "authorized_keys" -exec sh -c \
   'echo "--- {} ---"; cat {}; echo ""' \; >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/ssh_keys.txt

# Check rc.local and init scripts
cat /mnt/evidence/etc/rc.local 2>/dev/null > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/rc_local.txt

# Check /etc/profile.d/ for login-triggered scripts
ls -la /mnt/evidence/etc/profile.d/ > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/profile_scripts.txt

# Check for LD_PRELOAD hijacking
grep -r "LD_PRELOAD" /mnt/evidence/etc/ 2>/dev/null > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/ld_preload.txt
cat /mnt/evidence/etc/ld.so.preload 2>/dev/null >> /cases/case-2024-001/linux/persistence/ld_preload.txt

Step 4: Analyze Shell History and Command Execution

# Analyze bash history for each user
python3 << 'PYEOF'
import os, glob

print("=== SHELL HISTORY ANALYSIS ===\n")

suspicious_commands = [
    'wget', 'curl', 'nc ', 'ncat', 'netcat', 'python -c', 'python3 -c',
    'perl -e', 'base64', 'chmod 777', 'chmod +s', '/dev/tcp', '/dev/udp',
    'nmap', 'masscan', 'hydra', 'john', 'hashcat', 'passwd', 'useradd',
    'iptables -F', 'ufw disable', 'history -c', 'rm -rf /', 'dd if=',
    'crontab', 'at ', 'systemctl enable', 'ssh-keygen', 'scp ', 'rsync',
    'tar czf', 'zip -r', 'openssl enc', 'gpg --encrypt', 'shred',
    'chattr', 'setfacl', 'awk', '/tmp/', '/dev/shm/'
]

for hist_file in glob.glob('/cases/case-2024-001/linux/users/*/.bash_history'):
    username = hist_file.split('/')[-2]
    print(f"User: {username}")

    with open(hist_file, 'r', errors='ignore') as f:
        lines = f.readlines()

    print(f"  Total commands: {len(lines)}")
    flagged = []
    for i, line in enumerate(lines):
        line = line.strip()
        for cmd in suspicious_commands:
            if cmd in line.lower():
                flagged.append((i+1, line))
                break

    if flagged:
        print(f"  Suspicious commands: {len(flagged)}")
        for lineno, cmd in flagged:
            print(f"    Line {lineno}: {cmd[:120]}")
    print()
PYEOF

Step 5: Check for Rootkits and Modified Binaries

# Check for known rootkit indicators
# Compare system binary hashes against known-good
find /mnt/evidence/usr/bin/ /mnt/evidence/usr/sbin/ /mnt/evidence/bin/ /mnt/evidence/sbin/ \
   -type f -executable -exec sha256sum {} \; > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/binary_hashes.txt

# Check for SUID/SGID binaries (potential privilege escalation)
find /mnt/evidence/ -perm -4000 -type f 2>/dev/null > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/suid_files.txt
find /mnt/evidence/ -perm -2000 -type f 2>/dev/null > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/sgid_files.txt

# Check for suspicious files in /tmp and /dev/shm
find /mnt/evidence/tmp/ /mnt/evidence/dev/shm/ -type f 2>/dev/null \
   -exec file {} \; > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/tmp_files.txt

# Check for hidden files and directories
find /mnt/evidence/ -name ".*" -not -path "*/\." -type f 2>/dev/null | \
   head -100 > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/hidden_files.txt

# Check kernel modules
ls -la /mnt/evidence/lib/modules/$(ls /mnt/evidence/lib/modules/ | head -1)/extra/ 2>/dev/null \
   > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/extra_modules.txt

# Check for modified PAM configuration (authentication backdoors)
diff /mnt/evidence/etc/pam.d/ /cases/baseline/pam.d/ 2>/dev/null \
   > /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/pam_changes.txt

Key Concepts

ConceptDescription
/var/log/auth.logPrimary authentication log on Debian/Ubuntu systems
/var/log/securePrimary authentication log on RHEL/CentOS systems
wtmp/btmpBinary logs recording successful and failed login sessions
.bash_historyUser command history file (can be cleared by attackers)
crontabScheduled task system commonly used for persistence
authorized_keysSSH public keys granting passwordless access to an account
SUID bitFile permission allowing execution as the file owner (privilege escalation vector)
LD_PRELOADEnvironment variable that loads a shared library before all others (hooking technique)

Tools & Systems

ToolPurpose
chkrootkitRootkit detection scanner for Linux systems
rkhunterRootkit Hunter - checks for rootkits, backdoors, and local exploits
AIDEAdvanced Intrusion Detection Environment - file integrity monitor
auditdLinux audit framework for system call and file access monitoring
last/lastbParse wtmp/btmp for login and failed login history
Plaso/log2timelineSuper-timeline creation including Linux artifacts
osquerySQL-based system querying for live forensic investigation
VelociraptorEndpoint agent with Linux artifact collection capabilities

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: SSH Brute Force Followed by Compromise Analyze auth.log for failed SSH attempts followed by success, identify the attacking IP, check .bash_history for post-compromise commands, examine authorized_keys for added backdoor keys, check crontab for persistence, review network connections.

Scenario 2: Web Server Compromise via Application Vulnerability Examine web server access and error logs for exploitation attempts, check /tmp and /dev/shm for webshells, analyze the web server user's activity (www-data), check for privilege escalation via SUID binaries or kernel exploits, review outbound connections.

Scenario 3: Insider Threat on Database Server Analyze the suspect user's bash_history for database dump commands, check for large tar/zip files in home directory or /tmp, examine scp/rsync commands for data transfer, review cron jobs for automated exfiltration, check USB device logs.

Scenario 4: Crypto-Miner on Cloud Instance Check for high-CPU processes in /proc (live) or systemd service files, examine crontab entries for miner restart scripts, check /tmp for mining binaries, analyze network connections for mining pool communications, review authorized_keys for attacker access.

Output Format

Linux Forensics Summary:
  System: webserver01 (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
  Hostname: webserver01.corp.local
  Kernel: 5.15.0-91-generic

  User Accounts:
    Total: 25 (3 with UID 0 - 1 ANOMALOUS)
    Interactive shells: 8 users
    Recently created: admin2 (created 2024-01-15)

  Authentication Events:
    Successful SSH logins: 456
    Failed SSH attempts: 12,345 (from 23 unique IPs)
    Sudo executions: 89

  Persistence Mechanisms Found:
    Cron jobs: 3 suspicious (reverse shell, miner restart)
    Systemd services: 1 unknown (update-checker.service)
    SSH keys: 2 unauthorized keys in root authorized_keys
    rc.local: Modified with download cradle

  Suspicious Activity:
    - bash_history contains wget to pastebin URL
    - SUID binary /tmp/.hidden/escalate found
    - /dev/shm/ contains compiled ELF binary
    - LD_PRELOAD in /etc/ld.so.preload pointing to /lib/.hidden.so

  Report: /cases/case-2024-001/linux/analysis/

Related skills

How it compares

Use as a procedural security skill for Linux triage, not as a passive MCP connector that pulls telemetry automatically.

FAQ

Who is analyzing-linux-system-artifacts for?

Developers who deploy on Linux and want their coding agent to follow disciplined artifact review during security scares or audit prep, without hiring a full-time security engineer.

When should I use analyzing-linux-system-artifacts?

Use it during Ship security review before going live, in Operate when monitoring or support tickets hint at persistence or privilege abuse, and in Build when hardening a new VPS image—whenever Linux host evidence needs structured interpretation.

Is analyzing-linux-system-artifacts safe to install?

Treat it like any third-party agent skill: review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page, confirm the repo source, and avoid granting broader shell access than your investigation requires.

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