CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo

analyzing-bootkit-and-rootkit-samples

Analyzes bootkit and advanced rootkit malware that infects the Master Boot Record (MBR), Volume Boot Record (VBR), or UEFI firmware to gain persistence below the operating system. Covers boot sector analysis, UEFI module inspection, and anti-rootkit detection techniques. Activates for requests involving bootkit analysis, MBR malware investigation, UEFI persistence analysis, or pre-OS malware detection.

72

Quality

88%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

No eval scenarios have been run

SecuritybySnyk

Advisory

Suggest reviewing before use

SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Discovery

100%

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

This is an excellent skill description that clearly defines a specific niche (boot-level malware analysis), lists concrete capabilities, and provides explicit activation triggers. It uses proper third-person voice throughout and includes both expanded terms and acronyms for good keyword coverage. The description is concise yet comprehensive, making it easy for Claude to distinguish this skill from other security-related skills.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'boot sector analysis', 'UEFI module inspection', 'anti-rootkit detection techniques', and describes the specific malware targets (MBR, VBR, UEFI firmware). Very concrete and detailed.

3 / 3

Completeness

Clearly answers both 'what' (analyzes bootkit/rootkit malware, covers boot sector analysis, UEFI module inspection, anti-rootkit detection) and 'when' ('Activates for requests involving bootkit analysis, MBR malware investigation, UEFI persistence analysis, or pre-OS malware detection').

3 / 3

Trigger Term Quality

Includes strong natural keywords users would say: 'bootkit', 'rootkit', 'MBR malware', 'UEFI persistence', 'boot sector', 'pre-OS malware detection', 'Master Boot Record', 'Volume Boot Record'. Good coverage of both acronyms and full terms.

3 / 3

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Highly distinctive niche focusing specifically on boot-level and firmware-level malware. The triggers (bootkit, MBR malware, UEFI persistence, pre-OS malware) are very specific and unlikely to conflict with general malware analysis or other security skills.

3 / 3

Total

12

/

12

Passed

Implementation

77%

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

This is a strong, highly actionable skill with executable commands, concrete detection signatures, and a well-sequenced forensic workflow. Its main weakness is verbosity — the glossary of terms Claude already knows, tool descriptions, and the lengthy output template inflate the token cost. The content would benefit from splitting reference material into separate files while keeping the core workflow lean.

Suggestions

Remove or significantly trim the 'Key Concepts' glossary table — Claude already knows what MBR, UEFI, Secure Boot, and DKOM are.

Move the 'Known UEFI Bootkit Detection Points' reference block and the detailed output format template into separate bundle files (e.g., UEFI_SIGNATURES.md, REPORT_TEMPLATE.md) and reference them from the main skill.

Remove the 'Tools & Systems' section — descriptions like 'Volatility: Memory forensics framework' add no value for Claude.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The skill is fairly comprehensive but includes some unnecessary content. The 'Key Concepts' glossary table explains terms like MBR, UEFI, and DKOM that Claude already knows. The 'Tools & Systems' section similarly describes well-known tools. However, the bootkit signature patterns, specific commands, and detection points are genuinely useful additions that Claude wouldn't inherently know.

2 / 3

Actionability

The skill provides fully executable commands throughout — dd commands for acquisition, Python scripts for MBR analysis with specific byte offsets and signature matching, Volatility 3 commands for rootkit detection, chipsec commands for firmware analysis, and sigcheck commands for boot chain verification. Code is copy-paste ready with concrete examples.

3 / 3

Workflow Clarity

The 6-step workflow is clearly sequenced from acquisition through analysis to documentation. Validation checkpoints are present — Step 2 includes signature verification, Step 3 includes Secure Boot and SPI write protection checks, Step 5 is entirely dedicated to boot chain integrity verification. The scenario section includes explicit pitfalls (e.g., analyzing while compromised OS is running). The workflow follows a logical forensic methodology.

3 / 3

Progressive Disclosure

The content is well-structured with clear sections and headers, but it's a monolithic document (~300 lines) with no references to supporting files. The Key Concepts table, Tools & Systems section, and detailed output format template could be split into separate reference files. The known UEFI bootkit detection points block and the full output format example add significant length that could be externalized.

2 / 3

Total

10

/

12

Passed

Validation

90%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

10

/

11

Passed

Repository
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.