Sigma rule: Potential Libvlc.DLL Sideloading

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-ab504a61fe11, updated 2023-04-17T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Potential Libvlc.DLL Sideloading
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
X__Junior
Date
2023-04-17
File
rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_libvlc.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects potential DLL sideloading of "libvlc.dll", a DLL that is legitimately used by "VLC.exe"

Log source

product
windows
category
image_load

Detection

selection:
    ImageLoaded|endswith: '\libvlc.dll'
filter_main_vlc:
    ImageLoaded|startswith:
        - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\'
        - 'C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\'
condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_*

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • False positives are expected if VLC is installed in non-default locations

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_libvlc.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Potential Libvlc.DLL Sideloading" by X__Junior (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/windows/image_load/image_load_side_load_libvlc.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 Libvlc.DLL Sideloading",
entity page, dataset version ref-ab504a61fe11, updated 2023-04-17T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/bf9808c4-d24f-44a2-8398-b65227d406b6 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule bf9808c4-d24f-44a2-8398-b65227d406b6, 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.