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Probes or traces

WHAT

Jibril is a runtime detection tool designed to monitor and analyze system behavior, particularly focusing on the interactions between applications and the Linux kernel through various introspection mechanisms. It tracks usage of eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter), perf (performance counters), ftrace (function tracer), and other related hooking or attaching mechanisms that Linux supports. These tools are commonly used for performance monitoring, debugging, and security purposes but can also be exploited by malicious entities to introspect or alter the execution of other applications.

HOW

  1. Monitoring Hooks and Attachments:

  2. eBPF: Jibril monitors eBPF programs which are used to run user-defined code in the kernel space. It checks for unauthorized eBPF programs that might be trying to attach to critical kernel functions or data structures.

  3. Perf: This tool uses hardware counters and software events for performance monitoring. Jibril tracks access to perf events that could be exploited to gather sensitive information about system performance or software behavior.
  4. Ftrace: As a tracing framework for analyzing kernel function executions, ftrace modifications by unauthorized users or processes are logged and analyzed by Jibril.

  5. Other hooks: Includes kprobes, uprobes, and tracepoints. Jibril monitors these dynamic probing tools for any suspicious activities.

  6. Analysis Engine:

  7. Utilizes pattern recognition, anomaly detection algorithms, and signature-based methods to identify potential invasive actions based on predefined characteristics or deviations from normal operations.

  8. Alert System:

  9. Once a potential threat is detected, Jibril generates alerts or takes predefined actions such as killing malicious processes, logging information for further investigation, or isolating affected systems.

WHERE

Jibril is deployed directly on the Linux operating system where it has access to kernel-level operations and user-space interactions. This placement is crucial as it allows comprehensive monitoring of all interactions with the kernel’s introspective features across all running applications.

WHY

  • Security: By monitoring how applications interact with low-level system features like eBPF, perf, and ftrace, Jibril can detect unauthorized surveillance and data manipulation attempts which are indicative of exploitation attempts.
  • Compliance: Ensures that only authorized monitoring tools are active on sensitive systems which might be subject to regulatory standards requiring stringent data handling and processing practices.
  • System Integrity: Prevents unauthorized modifications to system behavior which could lead to instability or suboptimal performance due to malicious code execution at the kernel level.
  • Forensics: Provides valuable logs and data trails that can be used in forensic analysis following a security breach or system compromise.

CONCLUSION

In summary, runtime detection tools like Jibril play a critical role in safeguarding Linux systems against invasive activities by leveraging their ability to monitor specific low-level operations associated with modern introspection technologies.