Masquerading: Double File Extension Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may abuse a double extension in the filename as a means of masquerading the true file type. A file name may include a secondary file type extension that may cause only the first extension to be displayed (ex: File.txt.exe may render in some views as just File.txt). However, the second extension is the true file type that determines how …

Right-to-Left Override (RLO) Extension Spoofing Others

The Right-to-Left Override (RLO) character (U+202E) is a Unicode control character used for bidirectional text formatting. It affects the way text is displayed, causing text following the RLO character to be rendered from right to left, which is typically used in languages like Arabic and Hebrew.

However, malicious actors have found a way to exploit this Unicode …

System Binary Proxy Execution: Control Panel Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may abuse control.exe to proxy execution of malicious payloads. The Windows Control Panel process binary (control.exe) handles execution of Control Panel items, which are utilities that allow users to view and adjust computer settings.

Control Panel items are registered executable (.exe) or Control Panel (.cpl) files, the latter are actually renamed dynamic-link library (.dll) files that export a …

System Binary Proxy Execution: Verclsid Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may abuse verclsid.exe to proxy execution of malicious code. Verclsid.exe is known as the Extension CLSID Verification Host and is responsible for verifying each shell extension before they are used by Windows Explorer or the Windows Shell.

Adversaries may abuse verclsid.exe to execute malicious payloads. This may be achieved by running verclsid.exe /S /C {CLSID}, where the file …

VMCPUID Sandbox Evasion

The VMCPUID instruction is a sophisticated mechanism often employed by malware to ascertain if it is operating within a virtual environment.

This instruction is part of the x86 architecture's virtual machine extensions (VMX) and is designed to provide information about the capabilities and status of the virtual machine.

By using VMCPUID, malware can adapt its behavior based on …

File Format Confusion Antivirus/EDR Evasion

By looking the structure of the PE and the content of the file, the engine is able to detect if the file is malicious or not. For example, an heuristic engine can try to figure out if a file are using a dual extension (e.g: invoice.doc.exe) and determine the file as being malicious.

Confusing file format is another trick …

Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the search order used to load other programs. Because some programs do not call other programs using the full path, adversaries may place their own file in the directory where the calling program is located, causing the operating system to launch their malicious software at the request of the calling program.

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Indirect Command Execution Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may abuse utilities that allow for command execution to bypass security restrictions that limit the use of command-line interpreters. Various Windows utilities may be used to execute commands, possibly without invoking cmd.

Adversaries may abuse these features for Defense Evasion, specifically to perform arbitrary execution while subverting detections and/or mitigation controls (such as Group Policy) that limit/prevent the …

System Binary Proxy Execution: Rundll32 Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may abuse rundll32.exe to proxy execution of malicious code. Using rundll32.exe, vice executing directly (i.e. Shared Modules), may avoid triggering security tools that may not monitor execution of the rundll32.exe process because of allowlists or false positives from normal operations. Rundll32.exe is commonly associated with executing DLL payloads (ex: rundll32.exe {DLLname, DLLfunction}).

Rundll32.exe can also be used to …

XSL Script Processing Defense Evasion [Mitre]

Adversaries may bypass application control and obscure execution of code by embedding scripts inside XSL files. Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) files are commonly used to describe the processing and rendering of data within XML files. To support complex operations, the XSL standard includes support for embedded scripting in various languages.

Adversaries may abuse this functionality to execute arbitrary files …

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