Windows: Detect VMMap loading a signed dbghelp.dll from C:\Debuggers\

Alerts on vmmap.exe/vmmap64.exe loading a signed dbghelp.dll from C:\Debuggers, consistent with potential DLL sideloading.

FreeReviewedSigma · Medium · v2

Product: windows
Category: image_load
Author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2023-09-05
Updated: 2026-07-31

Analysis Detection

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 flags DLL sideloading behavior where Sysinternals VMMap (vmmap.exe/vmmap64.exe) loads a signed dbghelp.dll located under C:\Debuggers\. Attackers may use a similarly named, signed DLL placed on disk to influence application loading and execute malicious code under a trusted process context. The detection relies on image load telemetry that records the loaded DLL path, the parent process image, and the DLL’s signed status.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1574.001 — drag to rearrange

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Windows: Detect VMMap loading a signed dbghelp.dll from C:\Debuggers\

Pivot detection · T1574.001 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v1
No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

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

vmmap-loads-signed-dbghelp-dll-from-c-debuggers-path-potential-dll-sideloading-98ffaed4

title: "Windows: Detect VMMap loading a signed dbghelp.dll from C:\\Debuggers\\"
id: 890ff5e7-3bdc-494f-b36f-1a174a7d1ac6
related:
  - id: 273a8dd8-3742-4302-bcc7-7df5a80fe425
    type: similar
  - id: 98ffaed4-aec2-4e04-9b07-31492fe68b3d
    type: derived
status: test
description: This rule flags DLL sideloading behavior where Sysinternals VMMap (vmmap.exe/vmmap64.exe) loads a signed dbghelp.dll located under C:\Debuggers\. Attackers may use a similarly named, signed DLL placed on disk to influence application loading and execute malicious code under a trusted process context. The detection relies on image load telemetry that records the loaded DLL path, the parent process image, and the DLL’s signed status.
references:
  - https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/sysinternals-blog/zoomit-v7-1-procdump-2-0-for-linux-process-explorer-v17-05/ba-p/3884766
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_vmmap_dbghelp_signed.yml
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2023-09-05
tags:
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.execution
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.t1574.001
logsource:
  category: image_load
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    ImageLoaded|contains: C:\Debuggers\dbghelp.dll
    Image|endswith:
      - \vmmap.exe
      - \vmmap64.exe
    Signed: "true"
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1

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