Malicious Gelsemium OwlProxy wmipd DLL Load via image_load

PremiumReviewedSigma · High · v1
Product
windows
Category
image_load
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-10-18
Updated
2026-10-18

ATT&CK techniques

Persistence → Priv Esc
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Defense Evasion

  6. Cred Access

  7. Discovery

  8. Lateral Movement

  9. Collection

  10. C2

  11. Exfiltration

  12. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects the load of wmipd.dll which is the OwlProxy backdoor registered as a service masquerading as a WMI Provider. The suspected Gelsemium activity against a Southeast Asian government installed OwlProxy for proxying and persistence, and the impostor module name is a strong indicator of the malicious service DLL.

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Malicious Gelsemium OwlProxy wmipd DLL Load via image_load
Pivot detection · T1543.003 · 9 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.