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detecting-dll-sideloading-attacks

Detect DLL side-loading attacks using Sysmon Event ID 7 and EDR telemetry.

954|172|Updated Mar 13, 2026
Search Tags:#detection#threat hunting#sysmon#edr#defense evasion#dll sideloading#t1574
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/xalgord/xalgorix --skill detecting-dll-sideloading-attacks
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: detecting-dll-sideloading-attacks
Source: https://github.com/xalgord/xalgorix/tree/main/internal/tools/skills/data/threat-hunting/detecting-dll-sideloading-attacks
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/xalgord/xalgorix --skill detecting-dll-sideloading-attacks

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Adversaries place malicious DLLs alongside legitimate signed applications to hijack execution flow and evade defenses, and standard signature checks often miss these attacks. This Skill provides a structured threat-hunting workflow to identify DLL side-loading (MITRE ATT&CK T1574.002) before it becomes a persistent foothold.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • DLL Load Monitoring: Query Sysmon Event ID 7 and EDR telemetry (CrowdStrike, MDE, SentinelOne) for DLLs loaded outside expected application directories.
  • Signature and Hash Verification: Flag unsigned or untrusted DLLs loaded by signed executables and compare hashes against known-good baselines and threat intel.
  • Path Anomaly Detection: Identify legitimate executables running from user-writable locations like %APPDATA%, %TEMP%, or C:\ProgramData that act as decoy wrappers.
  • Use Case: During incident response, hunt for APT persistence by diffing the loaded-module set of known LOLBAS targets like OneDriveStandaloneUpdater.exe against a clean baseline to find sideloaded payloads.

Quick Start

Hunt for DLL side-loading on my endpoints by analyzing Sysmon Event ID 7 logs for unsigned DLLs loaded from unusual paths by signed applications.

Frequently Asked Questions about detecting-dll-sideloading-attacks

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I detect DLL side-loading attacks with Sysmon?▼

Enable Sysmon Event ID 7 (Image Loaded) and alert on DLLs loaded from paths outside the application's install directory, especially user-writable folders like %APPDATA% or %TEMP%. Verify the host process is not excluded in your Sysmon config, since many default configs filter common signers.

What tools detect DLL hijacking and sideloading?▼

Sysmon provides Event ID 7 DLL load logging, while EDR platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and SentinelOne add process context. Process Monitor traces loads in real time, and Sigcheck verifies digital signatures.

Why does a valid signature not mean a DLL is safe?▼

Attackers can sign malicious DLLs or abuse signed-then-appended code, so SignatureStatus=Valid alone is meaningless. Verify the signer matches the expected vendor and compare the certificate thumbprint and module hash against a known-good baseline.

How do I reduce false positives when hunting DLL sideloading?▼

Browsers and Electron apps legitimately load unsigned modules from AppData, causing noise. Baseline each application's expected module set and alert only on new or unexpected module hashes rather than all unsigned loads.

What is a phantom DLL and how do I hunt for it?▼

A phantom DLL is one a legitimate application searches for but does not exist, so no known-bad hash will match. Hunt for the search-order miss combined with a new file appearing on the DLL search path.

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