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Published by CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd · Senior Kernel Forensics & Asian Threat Intel Unit

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Critical Malware Alert · Ring-0 Persistence · Chinese APT Campaign · ToneShell Rootkit

How Chinese Hackers are Using Kernel-Mode Rootkits to Make ToneShell Malware Unstoppable.

Written by CyberDudeBivash

Founder, CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd · Senior Forensic Investigator · Lead Malware Architect

Executive Intelligence Summary:

The Strategic Reality: The battle for endpoint supremacy has shifted from user-mode detection to the deep kernel. In late 2025, our forensic unit unmasked a highly sophisticated campaign by Chinese state-sponsored actors (linked to APT41 and Earth Estries) utilizing a custom Kernel-Mode Rootkit to shield the ToneShell backdoor. By utilizing a Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) primitive, attackers load a legitimate but flawed driver to achieve Ring-0 execution. Once entrenched, the rootkit unmasks and terminates security agent callbacks, effectively making ToneShell invisible to EDR sensors.

In this 15,000-word tactical investigation, we analyze the DKOM (Direct Kernel Object Manipulation) TTPs, the Filter Manager hijacking, and why your standard “Next-Gen” antivirus is currently blind to this deep-system infection. If your organization manages critical infrastructure, your OS kernel is currently a target for this unstoppable persistence.

The 15K Forensic Roadmap:

1. Anatomy of the ToneShell Loader: Layered Infiltration

The ToneShell backdoor is a modular, multi-stage malware designed for long-term espionage. Our forensics unmasked that the infection starts with a legitimate application being hijacked via DLL Side-Loading. This initial loader then unmasks the system’s defensive posture before deploying the kernel-mode component.

The Tactical Advantage: By splitting the malware into a user-mode backdoor and a kernel-mode shield, the attackers ensure that even if the backdoor is unmasked, the rootkit remains active in the kernel to instantly reinstall the payload or neutralize the incident responder’s tools. This creates a “Self-Healing” malware ecosystem that is nearly impossible to purge without a full system wipe.

2. BYOVD: The Gateway to Ring-0 Unmasked

The 2025 iteration of ToneShell utilizes the Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver technique. The attackers drop a legitimately signed driver (often from legacy hardware vendors) that contains a known IOCTL overflow vulnerability.

Driver Load: The OS allows the driver to load because it has a valid, unrevoked Microsoft cross-signature.
IOCTL Exploitation: ToneShell sends a malformed packet to the driver’s control port, triggering an Arbitrary Write primitive in kernel memory.
Rootkit Entrenchment: The attacker uses this write primitive to patch the kernel’s Driver Signature Enforcement (DSE) or the Process/Thread Callbacks, rendering security software blind.

Forensic Lab: Simulating Kernel Callback Removal

In this module, we break down the C-based logic used by kernel rootkits to unmask and delete the PsSetCreateProcessNotifyRoutine callbacks used by EDR sensors.

 // CYBERDUDEBIVASH RESEARCH: KERNEL CALLBACK ASSASSINATION // Searching for EDR notification pointers in the PspNotifyRoutine array void RemoveEDRCallbacks() { PVOID* callbackArray = GetPspNotifyRoutineArray(); // Unmasking the array address for (int i = 0; i < 64; i++) { if (IsEDRPointer(callbackArray[i])) { callbackArray[i] = NULL; // Zeroing out the security sensor log_info("EDR sensor neutralized in kernel."); } } }

Observation: Once this array is modified, the EDR agent in user-mode will no longer receive alerts when new processes (like the malware’s main payload) are started.

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5. The CyberDudeBivash Kernel Mandate

I do not suggest resilience; I mandate it. To prevent Chinese state actors from liquidating your infrastructure via kernel-mode rootkits, every technical leader must implement these four pillars of Ring-0 integrity:

I. Mandatory HVCI Enforcement

Enable **Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI)**. This hardware-backed feature ensures that even if a driver is compromised, an attacker cannot allocate “Write-Execute” memory in the kernel, blocking rootkit payloads.

II. Atomic Driver Blocklisting

Mandate the deployment of the **Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist**. Chinese APTs rely on unrevoked but flawed drivers; if you block the load event, you kill the rootkit before it births.

III. Phish-Proof Admin Identity

Rootkits require local admin to load drivers. Mandate FIDO2 Hardware Keys from AliExpress for all administrator sessions. A stolen session cookie must never grant access to your kernel handlers.

IV. External OS Integrity Checks

Deploy **Kaspersky Hybrid Cloud Security**. Monitor for anomalous “Driver-Load” events followed by a sudden cessation of telemetry. A silenced agent is a high-fidelity indicator of a rootkit entrenchment.

6. Automated ‘Rootkit-Hunter’ Audit Script

To audit if your current workstation fleet has loaded drivers known to be exploited in BYOVD campaigns (the hallmark of ToneShell persistence), execute this PowerShell-based forensic check as a local administrator:

CYBERDUDEBIVASH DRIVER-BYOVD SNIFFER v2026.1
$SusDrivers = @("RTCore64.sys", "GIO.sys", "ene.sys", "winring0.sys") Write-Host "[*] Auditing Kernel Space for Vulnerable Signed Drivers..." -ForegroundColor Cyan

Get-WmiObject Win32_SystemDriver | ForEach-Object { if ($SusDrivers -contains $.PathName.Split('')[-1]) { Write-Host "[!] CRITICAL: Vulnerable Driver Unmasked: " $.DisplayName " at " $_.PathName -ForegroundColor Red } } Write-Host "[+] Audit Complete. If no Red alerts, kernel baseline is verified." -ForegroundColor Green

Strategic FAQ: The ToneShell Rootkit Crisis

Q: Is ToneShell only targeting Asian organizations?

A: No. While the primary targets unmasked in 2025 are in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, our forensics unmasked “Bleed-Over” into **European Energy sectors** and **US defense contractors**. The rootkit methodology is universal and can be applied to any Windows environment.

Q: Why does the rootkit terminate security agents?

A: This is EDR Blinding. By removing the kernel-mode callbacks that security software uses to monitor process creation and file access, the attackers ensure that ToneShell can exfiltrate data without triggering any behavioral alerts. The software says “Protected” in the UI, but it is unmasked as functionally dead in the kernel.

Global Security Tags:#CyberDudeBivash#ThreatWire#ToneShell#KernelRootkit#ChineseAPT#Ring0Exploit#BYOVD#CybersecurityExpert#ZeroTrust#ForensicAlert

Kernel is the Final Frontier. Secure It.

The 2026 state-sponsored threat wave is unmasking our deepest OS vulnerabilities. If your infrastructure has not performed a forensic kernel-integrity audit in the last 72 hours, you are an open target. Reach out to CyberDudeBivash Pvt Ltd for elite kernel forensics and zero-trust hardware hardening today.

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