Windows DLL Sideloading Indicators: 7za.dll Loaded from Non-Program Files Paths

Alerts when a process loads 7za.dll from a non-Program Files path, indicating potential DLL sideloading.

FreeReviewedSigma · Low · v2

Product: windows
Category: image_load
Author: X__Junior (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2023-06-09
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 identifies Windows processes that load an image ending with "\7za.dll" while not loading it from the common "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Program Files (x86)" directories. DLL sideloading can allow an attacker to execute malicious code by influencing the location a process searches for dependencies. The detection relies on image load telemetry indicating the full loaded module path (ImageLoaded) and applies allowlisting for Program Files locations.

Reporting behind it

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Windows DLL Sideloading Indicators: 7za.dll Loaded from Non-Program Files Paths

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-imageload-potential-7za-dll-sideloading-via-untrusted-image-paths-4f6edb78

title: "Windows DLL Sideloading Indicators: 7za.dll Loaded from Non-Program Files Paths"
id: 276d2005-6713-4b44-9a5b-1001de808242
status: test
description: This rule identifies Windows processes that load an image ending with "\7za.dll" while not loading it from the common "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Program Files (x86)" directories. DLL sideloading can allow an attacker to execute malicious code by influencing the location a process searches for dependencies. The detection relies on image load telemetry indicating the full loaded module path (ImageLoaded) and applies allowlisting for Program Files locations.
references:
  - https://www.gov.pl/attachment/ee91f24d-3e67-436d-aa50-7fa56acf789d
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_7za.yml
author: X__Junior, Huntrule Team
date: 2023-06-09
tags:
  - attack.persistence
  - attack.privilege-escalation
  - attack.execution
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.t1574.001
logsource:
  category: image_load
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    ImageLoaded|endswith: \7za.dll
  filter_main_legit_path:
    Image|startswith:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\
      - C:\Program Files\
    ImageLoaded|startswith:
      - C:\Program Files (x86)\
      - C:\Program Files\
  condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate third party application located in "AppData" may leverage this DLL to offer 7z compression functionality and may generate false positives. Apply additional filters as needed.
level: low
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 4f6edb78-5c21-42ab-a558-fd2a6fc1fd57
    type: derived

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