Investigate attacks that make legitimate Windows applications load malicious DLL files. This skill examines loading events, digital signatures, file hashes, and unusual locations, then checks process behavior to document suspicious cases and guide remediation.
Detect DLL side-loading and search-order hijacking (MITRE T1574) where adversaries plant malicious DLLs for legitimate signed applications to load, by analyzing Sysmon Event ID 7 DLL-load events, checking signatures/hashes against known-good versions, and flagging path anomalies with EDR tools like CrowdStrike, MDE, or SentinelOne. Use when investigating EDR alerts on unsigned DLLs, hunting for APT persistence via trojanized applications, or triaging incidents involving DLL hijacking.
Review the instructions the agent will receive before you install.
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| T1574.002 | DLL Side-Loading |
| T1574.001 | DLL Search Order Hijacking |
| T1574.006 | Dynamic Linker Hijacking |
| T1574.008 | Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking |
| DLL Search Order | Windows DLL loading priority path |
| Side-Loading | Placing malicious DLL where legitimate app loads it |
| Phantom DLL | DLL that legitimate apps try to load but does not exist |
| DLL Proxying | Malicious DLL forwarding calls to legitimate DLL |
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Sysmon | Event ID 7 DLL load monitoring |
| CrowdStrike Falcon | DLL load detection with process context |
| Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | DLL load anomaly detection |
| Process Monitor | Real-time DLL load tracing |
| DLL Export Viewer | Verify DLL export functions |
| Sigcheck | Digital signature verification |
| pe-sieve | PE analysis for proxied DLLs |
Hunt ID: TH-SIDELOAD-[DATE]-[SEQ]
Technique: T1574.002
Host Application: [Legitimate signed executable]
Sideloaded DLL: [Malicious DLL name and path]
Expected DLL Path: [Where DLL should legitimately be]
DLL Signed: [Yes/No]
App Location: [Expected/Anomalous]
Host: [Hostname]
Risk Level: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
No reviews yet. Tell others what you thought.
No login needed. Share how it worked for you, ask a question, or note where it did not run.
No comments yet. Be the first to write one.
Assess exposure of Windows secrets protected by DPAPI, the operating system’s data protection service, during authorized security tests. Guide examination and decryption of saved credentials and browser data using available user sessions, credentials, or backup keys.
Assess Shadow Credentials account takeover during authorized Active Directory testing. Examine permissions that allow public key registration, validate authentication without a password reset, and document credential cleanup, detection opportunities, and access control changes needed for remediation.
Prepare for CMMC Level 2, a cybersecurity certification for defense contractors. Define the systems handling controlled information, review security requirements, calculate the SPRS assessment score, and organize remediation plans and evidence into a readiness report.
Create disk images for investigations using dd or dcfldd on Linux. The workflow covers write protection, bit-for-bit copying, hash checks to verify integrity, and documentation of the acquisition process.
Review Active Directory permissions with ldap3, a Python library for directory queries. Identify excessive access granted to non-administrative accounts, explain potential privilege escalation paths, and produce a JSON report with affected objects and remediation recommendations.
Inspect suspicious Android APK files without running them. Analyze permissions, app components, suspicious code patterns, and network indicators, then produce a JSON risk report to support malware triage and detection rule development.