Malicious Kazuar DLL Side-Loading via Renamed Host Binaries

ATT&CK techniques

Execution → Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
- T1574.001DLL
Persistence
- T1574.001DLL
Priv Esc
- T1574.001DLL
Defense Evasion
- T1574.001DLL
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects execution of vncutil64.exe or LaunchGFExperience.exe, host binaries abused via DLL side-loading to restart the Turla Kazuar backdoor during a Gamaredon and Turla collaboration. These legitimately named executables running from non-standard locations serve as loaders for a malicious sideloaded DLL and indicate espionage backdoor activity.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1574.001 — drag to rearrange

Malicious Lazarus DLL Side-Loading via Colorcpl from ProgramData (via process_creation)

Malicious Lazarus DLL Side-Loading via PresentationHost from Non-Standard Path (via process_creation)

Suspicious msvc_4.dll Side-Load from Typosquatted NVIDlA Directory via Image Load

Suspicious DLL Load from WPS INetCache Temp Directory via Image Load

Suspicious regcap Side-Load of lregdll via Image Load

Suspicious Evasive Panda DLL Side-Loading via MonlamUpdate (via image_load)

Suspicious Executable or Script Written to Windows Fonts Directory by FishMonger

Suspicious rnpkeys Execution from AppData for DLL Side-Loading (via process_creation)

Malicious MpGear.dll Side-Loading by Signed Host Binary

Malicious Kazuar DLL Side-Loading via Renamed Host Binaries

Pivot detection · T1574.001 · 9 related

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

Full detection rule

Unlock this rule to view and copy it

The detection logic is included with a plan. Everything else — context, mappings and implementation details — stays free on this page.

Sign in for 3 free unlocks

Signing in gives you 3 unlocks to spend on any rule in the library. No card, and they do not expire.

Also included

Unlocked rules convert on this page — to Splunk SPL or Splunk — Raw Index SPL or Microsoft Sentinel KQL or Microsoft Sentinel ASIM ASIM KQL or Microsoft Defender XDR KQL or Elastic Security KQL or Elastic Security Lucene or Elastic Security ES|QL or CrowdStrike Falcon CQL or SentinelOne PowerQuery or Palo Alto Cortex XDR XQL or Carbon Black Cloud Platform Search or Carbon Black EDR Process Search or Google Security Operations UDM Search or IBM QRadar AQL or Sumo Logic Cloud SIEM Rules expression or Rapid7 InsightIDR LEQL or Graylog Search or OpenSearch Lucene or OpenSearch PPL PPL or Grafana Loki LogQL or SQLite SQL or Zircolite SQLite — with the log-source profile the engine picked, the field map it used, and everything it could not express. Converting a rule you have unlocked costs no further credit.

See it run on a free rule →Convert your own rule →