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OSSEC / HIDS Rule 5114

OSSEC / HIDS rule catalog

  • Rule family: OSSEC / HIDS
  • Rule ID: 5114
  • Definition status: Present in current source
  • Alert message / subject: Error inserting module.
  • Rule level: 7
  • Definition checked: 2026-10-21

Interpretation and response

This event is recorded as “Error inserting module.” Review the originating log and the affected host or service to determine whether the activity was expected.

An OSSEC/HIDS event records or correlates activity. Blocking depends on the originating application and any separately configured Active Response policy; an alert alone does not prove that an attack was blocked.

Documentation

The following guidance was migrated from the historical wiki and reviewed against the rule definition. Legacy ASL product names and interface instructions refer to the versions documented then. Use the current metadata above and your installed configuration when interpreting thresholds, notification settings and response behavior.

Rule ID

5114

Status

The wiki marked this rule Active at the source revision. Current definition status is shown above.

Description

This rule detects when an attempt is made to insert a kernel module, and this has failed. This may indicate that an attacker has tried to insert code into your kernel, such as a rootkit. This may also indicate that you have an application is trying to insert code into the kernel, such as a kernel module.

Guidance

The secure ASL kernel prevents any user or process, including root, from modifying the kernel. This prevents rootkits from being installed into the kernel. Please see the URL below for further guidance:

ASL FAQ (historical reference).

False Positives

A legitimate event may still trigger this rule. Review the surrounding activity before deciding whether it is malicious. This rule detects when a kernel module insertion attempt has failed. Please see the URL below if you wish to allow kernel modifications on your system:

ASL FAQ (historical reference).

Tuning Recommendations

None.

Source and revision

Migrated from HIDS_5114, wiki page 415, revision 2821 (20121020). Documentation review: 2026-10-21. An archived wiki status of Active is not a current deployment status.

For assistance, provide the rule ID, installed product and rule version, and a sanitized event to Atomicorp support .