Though rootkits have a fairly negative image, they can be used for both good and evil. Designing BSD Rootkits arms you with the knowledge you need to write offensive rootkits, to defend against malicious ones, and to explore the FreeBSD kernel and operating system in the process.
Organized as a tutorial, Designing BSD Rootkits will teach you the fundamentals of programming and developing rootkits under the FreeBSD operating system. Author Joseph Kong's goal is to make you smarter, not to teach you how to write exploits or launch attacks. You'll learn how to maintain root access long after gaining access to a computer and how to hack FreeBSD.
Kongs liberal use of examples assumes no prior kernel-hacking experience but doesn't water down the information. All code is thoroughly described and analyzed, and each chapter contains at least one real-world application.
Included:
The fundamentals of FreeBSD kernel module programming
Using call hooking to subvert the FreeBSD kernel
Directly manipulating the objects the kernel depends upon for its internal record-keeping
Patching kernel code resident in main memory; in other words, altering the kernel's logic while it's still running
How to defend against the attacks described
Hack the FreeBSD kernel for yourself!
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
A perfect programmer's guide.:
Collections strong in web design and programmer's guides know that rootkits have a negative image - but DESIGNING BSD ROOTKITS provides all the information on how to overcome any bad image and problems to develop effective rootkits under the FreeBSD operating system. This instructional is actually a tutorial, so it may also be used in programming classes: it explains how to maintain root access and how to hack Free BSD, using many examples which assume no prior kernel-hacking knowledge. Code is described,... more info
Concise, informative, powerful -- a real winner:
I loved Designing BSD Rootkits (DBR) by Joseph Kong, and I'm not even a kernel hacker. Rather, I'm an incident responder and FreeBSD administrator. This book is directly on target and does not waste the reader's time. If you understand C and want to learn how to manipulate the FreeBSD kernel, Designing BSD Rootkits is for you. Peer into the depths of a powerful operating system and bend it to your will! DBR covers much of the same sorts of material found in the earlier Rootkits: Subverting the Windows... more info
Enjoyable primer on system kernel penetration:
--- DISCLAIMER: This is a requested review by No Starch Press, however any opinions expressed within the review are my personal ones. --- This enjoyable readable book gradually and very systematically evolves around hacking the kernel of a BSD system. Chapter 1: Loadable Kernel Modules 22p.
Chapter 2: Hooking 13p.
Chapter 3: Direct Kernel Object Manipulation 20p.
Chapter 4: Kernel Object Hooking 4p.
Chapter 5: Run-Time Kernel Memory Patching 27p.
Chapter 6: Putting It... more info
Fun and informative:
I don't do a lot with BSD nowadays.. a lot of software customers want is only for Linux, and although sometimes it could be ported, the customers seem to want Linux. However, I cut my teeth on old SunOS, so bsdisms are familiar and friendly to me. Working through this book was fun and informative. You can download sources from [....] The concepts apply equally well to Linux, of course, and I also realized that some of the areas explored come up in ordinary application work and especially in system... more info
