Suspicious Mirage Kitten SspiCli.dll Search-Order Hijack via AppVShNotify.exe (via image_load)

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 AppVShNotify.exe loading SspiCli.dll from outside System32, a DLL search-order hijack used by Mirage Kitten to execute malware under a trusted App-V binary against Middle East and Africa targets. Sideloading a system DLL name from an unexpected path lets the attacker run code stealthily while masquerading as a legitimate Windows component.

Reporting behind it

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Suspicious Mirage Kitten SspiCli.dll Search-Order Hijack via AppVShNotify.exe (via image_load)

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.

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