TA0003 · PERSISTENCE
Dynamic Linker Hijacking
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking environment variables the dynamic linker uses to load shared libraries.
Detect it with
Monitor for changes to environment variables and files associated with loading shared libraries such as LD_PRELOAD and DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES , as well as the commands to implement these changes.
Why it matters on shift
Dynamic Linker 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