Suspicious Application Shim Database Installation via sdbinst
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-07-31
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Persistence → Priv EscRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects sdbinst.exe installing a custom application-compatibility shim database (.sdb) file, a technique used to inject code and persist by intercepting API calls to a target application. Legitimate shim installs are rare on endpoints, making a non-standard .sdb install worth review.
Reporting behind it
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
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