Adversaries may abuse shared modules to execute malicious payloads. The Windows module loader can be instructed to load DLLs from arbitrary local paths and arbitrary Universal Naming Convention (UNC) network paths. This functionality resides in NTDLL.dll and is part of the Windows Native API which is called from functions like CreateProcess, LoadLibrary, etc. of the Win32 API. ^[1]

The module loader can load DLLs:

via specification of the (fully-qualified or relative) DLL pathname in the IMPORT directory;
via EXPORT forwarded to another DLL, specified with (fully-qualified or relative) pathname (but without extension);
via an NTFS junction or symlink program.exe.local with the fully-qualified or relative pathname of a directory containing the DLLs specified in the IMPORT directory or forwarded EXPORTs;
via <file name="filename.extension" loadFrom="fully-qualified or relative pathname"> in an embedded or external "application manifest". The file name refers to an entry in the IMPORT directory or a forwarded EXPORT.

Adversaries may use this functionality as a way to execute arbitrary code on a victim system. For example, malware may execute share modules to load additional components or features.

ID: T1129

Sub-techniques: No sub-techniques

Tactic: Execution

Platforms: Windows

Permissions Required: User

Data Sources: API monitoring, DLL monitoring, File monitoring, Process monitoring

Contributors: Stefan Kanthak

Version: 2.0

Created: 31 May 2017

Last Modified: 28 March 2020

Version Permalink

Live Version

Procedure Examples

Name	Description
Astaroth	Astaroth uses the LoadLibraryExW() function to load additional modules. ^[5]
Attor	Attor's dispatcher can execute additional plugins by loading the respective DLLs.^[7]
BOOSTWRITE	BOOSTWRITE has used the DWriteCreateFactory() function to load additional modules.^[6]
Hydraq	Hydraq creates a backdoor through which remote attackers can load and call DLL functions.^[3]^[4]
PUNCHBUGGY	PUNCHBUGGY can load a DLL using the LoadLibrary API.^[2]
TajMahal	TajMahal has the ability to inject the `LoadLibrary` call template DLL into running processes.^[8]

Mitigations

Mitigation	Description
Execution Prevention	Identify and block potentially malicious software executed through this technique by using application control tools capable of preventing unknown DLLs from being loaded.

Detection

Monitoring DLL module loads may generate a significant amount of data and may not be directly useful for defense unless collected under specific circumstances, since benign use of Windows modules load functions are common and may be difficult to distinguish from malicious behavior. Legitimate software will likely only need to load routine, bundled DLL modules or Windows system DLLs such that deviation from known module loads may be suspicious. Limiting DLL module loads to %SystemRoot% and %ProgramFiles% directories will protect against module loads from unsafe paths.

Correlation of other events with behavior surrounding module loads using API monitoring and suspicious DLLs written to disk will provide additional context to an event that may assist in determining if it is due to malicious behavior.

Shared Modules

Procedure Examples

Mitigations

Detection

References