Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the way operating systems run programs. Hijacking execution flow can be for the purposes of persistence, since this hijacked execution may reoccur over time. Adversaries may also use these mechanisms to elevate privileges or evade defenses, such as application control or other restrictions on execution.
There are many ways an adversary may hijack the flow of execution, including by manipulating how the operating system locates programs to be executed. How the operating system locates libraries to be used by a program can also be intercepted. Locations where the operating system looks for programs/resources, such as file directories and in the case of Windows the Registry, could also be poisoned to include malicious payloads.
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| action.hacking.variety.Hijack | To assume control over and steal functionality for an illicit purpose (e.g. Hijacking phone number intercept SMS verification codes) | related-to | T1574 | Hijack Execution Flow | |
| action.hacking.variety.Unknown | Unknown | related-to | T1574 | Hijack Execution Flow | |
| action.hacking.variety.XML injection | XML injection. Child of 'Exploit vuln'. | related-to | T1574 | Hijack Execution Flow |
| Technique ID | Technique Name | Number of Mappings |
|---|---|---|
| T1574.011 | Services Registry Permissions Weakness | 1 |
| T1574.001 | DLL Search Order Hijacking | 4 |
| T1574.014 | AppDomainManager | 1 |
| T1574.005 | Executable Installer File Permissions Weakness | 3 |
| T1574.010 | Services File Permissions Weakness | 1 |
| T1574.002 | DLL Side-Loading | 4 |
| T1574.004 | Dylib Hijacking | 3 |
| T1574.012 | COR_PROFILER | 1 |