Event Triggered Execution: AppCert DLLs (T1546.009)

Tactics: Privilege Escalation, Persistence · Platforms: Windows

The interactive view maps 1 detection strategy, 1 mitigation, 1 software entry to this technique, alongside D3FEND countermeasures and data-component coverage.

Sub-technique of Event Triggered Execution (T1546).

Overview

Adversaries may establish persistence and/or elevate privileges by executing malicious content triggered by AppCert DLLs loaded into processes. Dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) that are specified in the AppCertDLLs Registry key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\ are loaded into every process that calls the ubiquitously used application programming interface (API) functions CreateProcess, CreateProcessAsUser, CreateProcessWithLoginW, CreateProcessWithTokenW, or WinExec.

Similar to Process Injection, this value can be abused to obtain elevated privileges by causing a malicious DLL to be loaded and run in the context of separate processes on the computer. Malicious AppCert DLLs may also provide persistence by continuously being triggered by API activity.

Explore

• Open T1546.009 in the interactive ATT&CK matrix
• ATT&CK Intelligence View guide
• Official MITRE ATT&CK entry for T1546.009
• Sigma detection rules for MITRE ATT&CK
• Built by Shahrukh Khan