Detection rules › Elastic
Execution via local SxS Shared Module
Identifies the creation, change, or deletion of a DLL module within a Windows SxS local folder. Adversaries may abuse shared modules to execute malicious payloads by instructing the Windows module loader to load DLLs from arbitrary local paths.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Execution | T1129 Shared Modules, T1574.001 Hijack Execution Flow: DLL |
| Stealth | T1574.001 Hijack Execution Flow: DLL |
Rule body elastic
[metadata]
creation_date = "2020/10/28"
integration = ["endpoint", "windows", "m365_defender", "sentinel_one_cloud_funnel", "crowdstrike"]
maturity = "production"
updated_date = "2026/05/04"
[rule]
author = ["Elastic"]
description = """
Identifies the creation, change, or deletion of a DLL module within a Windows SxS local folder. Adversaries may abuse
shared modules to execute malicious payloads by instructing the Windows module loader to load DLLs from arbitrary local
paths.
"""
from = "now-9m"
index = [
"winlogbeat-*",
"logs-endpoint.events.file-*",
"logs-windows.sysmon_operational-*",
"endgame-*",
"logs-m365_defender.event-*",
"logs-sentinel_one_cloud_funnel.*",
"logs-crowdstrike.fdr*",
]
language = "eql"
license = "Elastic License v2"
name = "Execution via local SxS Shared Module"
note = """## Triage and analysis
The SxS DotLocal folder is a legitimate feature that can be abused to hijack standard modules loading order by forcing an executable on the same application.exe.local folder to load a malicious DLL module from the same directory.
"""
setup = """## Setup
This rule is designed for data generated by [Elastic Defend](https://www.elastic.co/security/endpoint-security), which provides native endpoint detection and response, along with event enrichments designed to work with our detection rules.
Setup instructions: https://ela.st/install-elastic-defend
### Additional data sources
This rule also supports the following third-party data sources. For setup instructions, refer to the links below:
- [CrowdStrike](https://ela.st/crowdstrike-integration)
- [Microsoft Defender XDR](https://ela.st/m365-defender)
- [SentinelOne Cloud Funnel](https://ela.st/sentinel-one-cloud-funnel)
- [Sysmon Event ID 11 - File Create](https://ela.st/sysmon-event-11-setup)
"""
references = ["https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/dlls/dynamic-link-library-redirection"]
risk_score = 47
rule_id = "a3ea12f3-0d4e-4667-8b44-4230c63f3c75"
severity = "medium"
tags = [
"Domain: Endpoint",
"OS: Windows",
"Use Case: Threat Detection",
"Tactic: Execution",
"Data Source: Elastic Endgame",
"Data Source: Elastic Defend",
"Data Source: Sysmon",
"Data Source: Microsoft Defender XDR",
"Data Source: SentinelOne",
"Data Source: Crowdstrike",
"Resources: Investigation Guide",
]
timestamp_override = "event.ingested"
type = "eql"
query = '''
file where host.os.type == "windows" and file.extension : "dll" and
file.path : (
"C:\\*\\*.exe.local\\*.dll",
/* Crowdstrike specific condition as it uses NT Object paths */
"\\Device\\HarddiskVolume*\\*\\*.exe.local\\*.dll"
)
'''
[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1129"
name = "Shared Modules"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1129/"
[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0002"
name = "Execution"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0002/"
[[rule.threat]]
framework = "MITRE ATT&CK"
[[rule.threat.technique]]
id = "T1574"
name = "Hijack Execution Flow"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1574/"
[[rule.threat.technique.subtechnique]]
id = "T1574.001"
name = "DLL"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1574/001/"
[rule.threat.tactic]
id = "TA0005"
name = "Defense Evasion"
reference = "https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0005/"
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: file
file where host.os.type == "windows" and file.extension : "dll" and
file.path : (
"C:\\*\\*.exe.local\\*.dll",
"\\Device\\HarddiskVolume*\\*\\*.exe.local\\*.dll"
)
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
file.extension | wildcard |
|
file.path | wildcard |
|