TA0003 · PERSISTENCE
Dylib Hijacking
Adversaries may execute their own payloads by placing a malicious dynamic library (dylib) with an expected name in a path a victim application searches at runtime.
Detect it with
Monitor file systems for moving, renaming, replacing, or modifying dylibs. Changes in the set of dylibs that are loaded by a process (compared to past behavior) that do not correlate with known software, patches, etc., are suspicious.
Why it matters on shift
Dylib Hijacking is one of the concrete ways adversaries achieve persistence. Recognising it in telemetry lets you name the technique in your ticket and pivot to what came before and after.
What to look for next
After persistence, the next tactic is usually Privilege Escalation. Search your telemetry for the transition before closing the ticket.
Kill-chain context