I am running kubuntu 21.04. I just rebooted my system, and as kubuntu was starting up it installed several packages and rebooted again before reaching the login screen.
I've never seen this behavior before, and am wondering if I've just been hacked and had a rootkit or something similar installed.
Is this a normal behavior, and if so, why?
Thank you very much.
UPDATE:
It was suggested that I check my system logs. The following selected lines are from journalctl. (Sorry for the length, but I'm not sure what could be left out.)
Note that things seem to have started off with an "update-packages" executed by my user ID instead of root.
Also note that "obtained auth for org.freedesktop.packagekit.package-install-untrusted" shows up a few times.
PackageKit[1604]: get-updates transaction /1763_ebabdbea from uid 1000 finished with success after 224ms
PackageKit[1604]: uid 1000 is trying to obtain org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-sources-refresh auth (only_trusted:0)
PackageKit[1604]: uid 1000 obtained auth for org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-sources-refresh
PackageKit[1604]: refresh-cache transaction /1764_ccdbdabb from uid 1000 finished with success after 568ms
PackageKit[1604]: get-updates transaction /1765_edcaccdb from uid 1000 finished with success after 628ms
PackageKit[1604]: get-updates transaction /1766_deebedbd from uid 1000 finished with success after 188ms
PackageKit[1604]: resolve transaction /1767_bebabdcc from uid 1000 finished with success after 160ms
PackageKit[1604]: resolve transaction /1768_eebcaddb from uid 1000 finished with success after 145ms
PackageKit[1604]: get-updates transaction /1769_beacdacd from uid 1000 finished with success after 196ms
PackageKit[1604]: new update-packages transaction /1770_dcdcbcae scheduled from uid 1000
PackageKit[1604]: in /1770_dcdcbcae for update-packages package libsnmp-base;5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1;all;ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main was updating for uid 1000
PackageKit[1604]: in /1770_dcdcbcae for update-packages package libsnmp40;5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1;amd64;ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main was updating for uid 1000
PackageKit[1604]: update-packages transaction /1770_dcdcbcae from uid 1000 finished with success after 199ms
PackageKit[1604]: new update-packages transaction /1771_adacbbdb scheduled from uid 1000
PackageKit[1604]: update-packages transaction /1771_adacbbdb from uid 1000 finished with success after 185ms
PackageKit[1604]: get-updates transaction /1773_cbaeedcb from uid 1000 finished with success after 209ms
PackageKit[1604]: resolve transaction /1774_beaeddab from uid 1000 finished with success after 159ms
PackageKit[1604]: resolve transaction /1775_cadbdeda from uid 1000 finished with success after 142ms
systemd[1]: Stopping PackageKit Daemon...
systemd[1]: Stopped PackageKit Daemon.
pk-offline-update[626]: sent mode to plymouth 'updates'
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing updates; this could take a while...'
pk-offline-update[626]: writing dummy results
pk-offline-update[626]: assigned role
dbus-daemon[627]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.PackageKit' unit='packagekit.service' requested by ':1.2' (uid=0 pid=626 comm="/usr/libexec/pk-offline-update " label="unconfined")
systemd[1]: Starting PackageKit Daemon...
PackageKit[640]: daemon start
dbus-daemon[627]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.PackageKit'
systemd[1]: Started PackageKit Daemon.
pk-offline-update[626]: status wait
PackageKit[640]: uid 0 is trying to obtain org.freedesktop.packagekit.package-install-untrusted auth (only_trusted:0)
pk-offline-update[626]: status waiting-for-auth
PackageKit[640]: new update-packages transaction /1776_cddadabc scheduled from uid 0
PackageKit[640]: uid 0 obtained auth for org.freedesktop.packagekit.package-install-untrusted
pk-offline-update[626]: status wait
pk-offline-update[626]: status setup
pk-offline-update[626]: status loading-cache
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 0%
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 100%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 100%'
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 0%
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 50%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 50%'
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 100%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 100%'
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 0%
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 100%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 100%'
pk-offline-update[626]: status query
pk-offline-update[626]: status running
pk-offline-update[626]: status loading-cache
pk-offline-update[626]: status download
pk-offline-update[626]: status running
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 0%
pk-offline-update[626]: package preparing libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package decompressing libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 11%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 11%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: status install
pk-offline-update[626]: package installing libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 22%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 22%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package preparing libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package decompressing libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 33%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 33%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package installing libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 44%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 44%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package preparing libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package installing libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 55%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 55%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp-base-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.all (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 66%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 66%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package preparing libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: package installing libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 77%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 77%'
pk-offline-update[626]: package finished libsnmp40-5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1.amd64 (ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main)
pk-offline-update[626]: percentage 88%
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Installing Updates - 88%'
PackageKit[640]: in /1776_cddadabc for update-packages package libsnmp-base;5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1;all;ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main was installing for uid 0
PackageKit[640]: in /1776_cddadabc for update-packages package libsnmp40;5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1;amd64;ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main was installing for uid 0
PackageKit[640]: in /1776_cddadabc for update-packages package libsnmp-base;5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1;all;ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main was installing for uid 0
pk-offline-update[626]: status finished
PackageKit[640]: in /1776_cddadabc for update-packages package libsnmp40;5.9+dfsg-3ubuntu1.21.04.1;amd64;ubuntu-hirsute-updates-main was installing for uid 0
PackageKit[640]: update-packages transaction /1776_cddadabc from uid 0 finished with success after 2119ms
pk-offline-update[626]: writing actual results
pk-offline-update[626]: rebooting
pk-offline-update[626]: sent mode to plymouth 'reboot'
pk-offline-update[626]: sent msg to plymouth 'Rebooting after installing updates…'
systemd[1]: Stopping PackageKit Daemon...
systemd[1]: Stopped PackageKit Daemon.
dbus-daemon[778]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.PackageKit' unit='packagekit.service' requested by ':1.83' (uid=1000 pid=1522 comm="/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libexec/DiscoverNotifier" label="unconfined")
systemd[1]: Starting PackageKit Daemon...
PackageKit[1549]: daemon start
dbus-daemon[778]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.PackageKit'
systemd[1]: Started PackageKit Daemon.
PackageKit[1549]: get-updates transaction /1777_cdcdbbbe from uid 1000 finished with success after 239ms
PackageKit[1549]: uid 1000 is trying to obtain org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-sources-refresh auth (only_trusted:0)
PackageKit[1549]: uid 1000 obtained auth for org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-sources-refresh
PackageKit[1549]: refresh-cache transaction /1778_ecdaeede from uid 1000 finished with success after 2093ms
PackageKit[1549]: get-updates transaction /1779_cceabead from uid 1000 finished with success after 649ms
PackageKit[1549]: get-updates transaction /1780_ecebbbce from uid 1000 finished with success after 200ms
PackageKit[1549]: get-updates transaction /1781_bbedebab from uid 1000 finished with success after 190ms
PackageKit[1549]: get-updates transaction /1782_bebcdbea from uid 1000 finished with success after 189ms
