CAPEC Details
Name Embed Virus into DLL
Likelyhood of attack Typical severity
Medium High
Summary An adversary tampers with a DLL and embeds a computer virus into gaps between legitimate machine instructions. These gaps may be the result of compiler optimizations that pad memory blocks for performance gains. The embedded virus then attempts to infect any machine which interfaces with the product, and possibly steal private data or eavesdrop.
Prerequisites Access to the software currently deployed at a victim location. This access is often obtained by leveraging another attack pattern to gain permissions that the adversary wouldn't normally have.
Solutions Leverage anti-virus products to detect and quarantine software with known virus.
Related Weaknesses
CWE ID Description
CWE-506 Embedded Malicious Code
Related CAPECS
CAPEC ID Description
CAPEC-442 An adversary adds malicious logic, often in the form of a computer virus, to otherwise benign software. This logic is often hidden from the user of the software and works behind the scenes to achieve negative impacts. Many times, the malicious logic is inserted into empty space between legitimate code, and is then called when the software is executed. This pattern of attack focuses on software already fielded and used in operation as opposed to software that is still under development and part of the supply chain.
Taxonomy: ATTACK
Entry ID Entry Name
1027.009 Obfuscated Files or Information: Embedded Payloads