mandiant / mandiant/capa-rules

hijack DLL search order via directory manipulation + dynamic loading

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rule idea
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Forks
245
Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Detect potential DLL search-order hijack setup by matching code that changes DLL search directories (SetDllDirectory/AddDllDirectory/SetDefaultDllDirectories) and then dynamically loads DLLs (LoadLibrary*) in the same logical scope. The intent is to flag sideloading-style behavior while keeping FP risk low with conservative co-feature requirements.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the capa rule definitions and reviewing how API co-features are expressed for SetDllDirectory, AddDllDirectory, SetDefaultDllDirectories, and LoadLibrary*. Define a conservative rule matching directory changes and dynamic loading in one logical scope; done means sideloading-style behavior is detected while false-positive risk remains low.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
reverse-engineering, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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