Windows DLL Sideloading: waveedit.dll Loaded by Nero WaveEditor

Alerts when waveedit.dll is loaded from an unexpected path, suggesting possible DLL sideloading on Windows.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2

Product: windows
Category: image_load
Author: X__Junior (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2023-06-14
Updated: 2026-07-31

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 Windows executions where an image load event ends with waveedit.dll, indicating potential DLL sideloading related to Nero WaveEditor. It matters because loading an unexpected DLL alongside a legitimate process can allow attackers to execute malicious code under the context of the trusted application. The detection relies on image load telemetry (ImageLoaded) and filters out cases where the loader process is waveedit.exe from the expected Nero installation paths.

Reporting behind it

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Windows DLL Sideloading: waveedit.dll Loaded by Nero WaveEditor

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.

windows-image-load-monitoring-potential-waveedit-dll-dll-sideloading-71b31e99

title: "Windows DLL Sideloading: waveedit.dll Loaded by Nero WaveEditor"
id: 760028cb-f833-43e4-8284-c9610e7f835d
status: test
description: This rule flags Windows executions where an image load event ends with waveedit.dll, indicating potential DLL sideloading related to Nero WaveEditor. It matters because loading an unexpected DLL alongside a legitimate process can allow attackers to execute malicious code under the context of the trusted application. The detection relies on image load telemetry (ImageLoaded) and filters out cases where the loader process is waveedit.exe from the expected Nero installation paths.
references:
  - https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/23/f/behind-the-scenes-unveiling-the-hidden-workings-of-earth-preta.html
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_waveedit.yml
author: X__Junior (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2023-06-14
tags:
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.execution
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.t1574.001
logsource:
  category: image_load
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    ImageLoaded|endswith: \waveedit.dll
  filter_main_legit_path:
    Image:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\Nero\Nero Apps\Nero WaveEditor\waveedit.exe
      - C:\Program Files\Nero\Nero Apps\Nero WaveEditor\waveedit.exe
    ImageLoaded|startswith:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\Nero\Nero Apps\Nero WaveEditor\
      - C:\Program Files\Nero\Nero Apps\Nero WaveEditor\
  condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*
falsepositives:
  - Unlikely
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 71b31e99-9ad0-47d4-aeb5-c0ca3928eeeb
    type: derived

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