Sigma rule: Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Sideloading

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-657612891329, updated 2023-06-20T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Sideloading
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
X__Junior (Nextron Systems)
Date
2023-06-20
File
rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_shelldispatch.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects potential DLL sideloading of "ShellDispatch.dll"

Log source

product
windows
category
image_load

Detection

selection:
    ImageLoaded|endswith: '\ShellDispatch.dll'
filter_main_legit_path:
    - ImageLoaded|contains|all:
          - ':\Users\'
          - '\AppData\Local\Temp\'
    - ImageLoaded|contains: ':\Windows\Temp\'
condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Some installers may trigger some false positives

Tags

  • attack.persistence
  • attack.privilege-escalation
  • attack.execution
  • attack.stealth
  • attack.t1574.001

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_shelldispatch.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Sideloading" by X__Junior (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_shelldispatch.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: Potential ShellDispatch.DLL Sideloading",
entity page, dataset version ref-657612891329, updated 2023-06-20T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/844f8eb2-610b-42c8-89a4-47596e089663 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 844f8eb2-610b-42c8-89a4-47596e089663, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.