Ecdysis — Cross-Distro Kernel Vanguard

Ecdysis is a next-generation, cross-distro kernel security framework that operates at the root of the OS to detect and neutralize threats before they reach user space. It provides real-time integrity monitoring, active threat interception, and zero-day resilience for enterprise, governmental and research environments. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

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Table of Contents

• Key Goals
• Highlights
• Architecture
• Components & Integrations
• Editions
• Quick Start
• Configuration
• Usage
• Deployment Notes
• Contributing
• License
• Contact

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Key Goals

• Provide kernel-level threat detection and prevention across Linux distributions. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
• Maintain real-time integrity checks and active interception of attacks that attempt to reach user space. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• Offer a free distribution for governments, educational institutions and research labs while providing an enterprise edition with advanced analytics and AI-assisted threat modeling. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

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Highlights

• Kernel-level monitoring and enforcement (root of system operations). :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
• Zero-day resilience through pre-user-space interception. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
• Forensics & crash log collection for post-incident analysis. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
• Integrations with common security tooling for layered defense (antivirus, YARA, VirusTotal, firewall control, LKRG, SELinux). :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

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Architecture

Ecdysis is designed as a modular kernel-centric framework with userland orchestration components:

+-------------------------+ | Userland Orchestrator | | - Policy Manager | | - Analytics (optional) | | - Config / UI / APIs | +-----------+-------------+ | +-----------v-------------+ | Kernel Vanguard | <-- Core: integrity hooks, interception, active blocking | - LKRG-like monitoring| | - Active interception | +-----------+-------------+ | +-----------v-------------+ | Integrations Layer | | - ClamAV / YARA | | - VirusTotal queries | | - Firewalld / UFW | +-------------------------+

The architecture idea and component list come from the project brief. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

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Components & Integrations

The framework anticipates integration with the following (examples from the project brief):

• ClamAV — Signature-based scanning. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
• YARA — Rule-based pattern matching. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
• VirusTotal / Threat Intel — optional lookups for suspicious artifacts. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
• Firewalld / UFW — firewall/reactive network controls. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
• LKRG (or equivalent) — kernel integrity monitoring helpers. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
• SELinux / FA Policy — mandatory access controls and policies. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
• Forensics / Crash Logging — automatic capture of forensic artifacts and crash traces. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}

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Editions

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Quick Start (Example — placeholder)

NOTE: Ecdysis is a kernel-level project. Running or building kernel code requires care. The commands below are example placeholders — replace with your actual build/test commands and ensure you test in VMs or isolated hardware.

Configuration

Ecdysis is configurable via YAML/JSON policy files. Example skeleton:

config/ecdysis.yaml

mode: "monitor" # monitor | enforce integrations: clamav: true yara: true virustotal: false policies: kernel: allow_modules: [] deny_signatures: [] forensics: capture_on_violation: true output_dir: /var/log/ecdysis/forensics logging: level: INFO remote_syslog: false

Place in /etc/ecdysis/ecdysis.yaml or pass --config to userland orchestrator.

Usage & Examples

Monitor mode — observe kernel activity and produce alerts without blocking. Great for initial deployment and tuning.

Enforce mode — actively intercept and prevent policy violations at kernel level. Use after thorough testing.

Forensics — on policy violation, capture traces, memory dumps (where feasible), and related logs for analysis.

(Provide CLI examples and REST API docs in docs/ folder — TODO.)

Deployment Notes & Safety

Testing: Always test kernel modifications in a controlled VM or isolated testbed. Kernel faults can render systems unbootable.

Compatibility: Targeted to be cross-distro, but kernel ABI differences can require per-distro packaging and kernel header matching.

Privacy & Compliance: Forensic capture may include sensitive data. Ensure deployments meet legal and compliance requirements.