DLL Side-Loading - T1574.002 (e64c62cf-9cd7-4a14-94ec-cdaac43ab44b)
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by side-loading DLLs. Similar to DLL Search Order Hijacking, side-loading involves hijacking which DLL a program loads. But rather than just planting the DLL within the search order of a program then waiting for the victim application to be invoked, adversaries may directly side-load their payloads by planting then invoking a legitimate application that executes their payload(s).
Side-loading takes advantage of the DLL search order used by the loader by positioning both the victim application and malicious payload(s) alongside each other. Adversaries likely use side-loading as a means of masking actions they perform under a legitimate, trusted, and potentially elevated system or software process. Benign executables used to side-load payloads may not be flagged during delivery and/or execution. Adversary payloads may also be encrypted/packed or otherwise obfuscated until loaded into the memory of the trusted process.(Citation: FireEye DLL Side-Loading)
| Cluster A | Galaxy A | Cluster B | Galaxy B | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLL Side-Loading - T1574.002 (e64c62cf-9cd7-4a14-94ec-cdaac43ab44b) | Attack Pattern | Hijack Execution Flow - T1574 (aedfca76-3b30-4866-b2aa-0f1d7fd1e4b6) | Attack Pattern | 1 |