Rootkits and Bootkits will teach you how to understand and counter sophisticated, advanced threats buried deep in a machine’s boot process or UEFI firmware.

With the aid of numerous case studies and professional research from three of the world’s leading security experts, you’ll trace malware development over time from rootkits like TDL3 to present-day UEFI implants and examine how they infect a system, persist through reboot, and evade security software. As you inspect and dissect real malware, you’ll learn:

How Windows boots—including 32-bit, 64-bit, and UEFI mode—and where to find vulnerabilities
The details of boot process security mechanisms like Secure Boot, including an overview of Virtual Secure Mode (VSM) and Device Guard
Reverse engineering and forensic techniques for analyzing real malware, including bootkits like Rovnix/Carberp, Gapz, TDL4, and the infamous rootkits TDL3 and Festi
How to perform static and dynamic analysis using emulation and tools like Bochs and IDA Pro
How to better understand the delivery stage of threats against BIOS and UEFI firmware in order to create detection capabilities
How to use virtualization tools like VMware Workstation to reverse engineer bootkits and the Intel Chipsec tool to dig into forensic analysis

Cybercrime syndicates and malicious actors will continue to write ever more persistent and covert attacks, but the game is not lost. Explore the cutting edge of malware analysis with Rootkits and Bootkits.

Covers boot processes for Windows 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

Table of contents

Introduction

Part 1: ROOTKITS
Chapter 1: What’s in a Rootkit: The TDL3 Case Study
Chapter 2: Festi Rootkit: The Most Advanced Spam Bot
Chapter 3: Observing Rootkit Infections

Part 2: BOOTKITS
Chapter 4: Bootkit Background and History
Chapter 5: Operating System Boot Process Essentials
Chapter 6: Boot Process Security
Chapter 7: Bootkit Infection Techniques
Chapter 8: Static Analysis of a Bootkit Using IDA Pro
Chapter 9: Bootkit Dynamic Analysis: Emulators and Virtualization
Chapter 10: Evolution of MBR and VBR Infection Techniques: Olmasco
Chapter 11: IPL Bootkits: Rovnix & Carberp
Chapter 12: Gapz: Advanced VBR Infection
Chapter 13: The Rise of MBR Ransomeware
Chapter 14: UEFI Boot vs. MBR/VBR Boot Process
Chapter 15: Contemporary UEFI Bootkits
Chapter 16: UEFI Firmware Vulnerabilities

Part 3: DEFENSE AND FORENSIC TECHNIQUES
Chapter 17: How Secure Boot Works
Chapter 18: Analyzing the Hidden File System
Chapter 19: CHIPsec: BIOS/UEFI Forensics