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How to remove DLL hijacking Trojans?

Created on 2025-09-01 18:27:40
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To remove DLL hijacking Trojans, follow these steps:

  1. Identify the Infection

    • Use a reliable antivirus or anti-malware tool (e.g., Malwarebytes, Windows Defender) to scan your system. These tools can detect suspicious DLL files or unauthorized processes.
    • Check for unusual behavior, such as unexpected network activity, slow performance, or applications crashing.

  2. Terminate Malicious Processes

    • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look for suspicious processes. Right-click and end them if they are linked to unknown applications.
    • Use tools like Process Explorer (from Microsoft Sysinternals) to inspect loaded DLLs and identify hijacked ones.

  3. Remove Malicious DLLs

    • Locate the malicious DLL files (often in application directories or system folders like C:\Windows\System32).
    • Delete or quarantine the suspicious DLL files. Be cautious not to remove legitimate system DLLs.

  4. Fix Application Vulnerabilities

    • Update all installed applications to their latest versions, as developers often patch DLL hijacking vulnerabilities.
    • Ensure that applications load DLLs only from their own directories (using safe loading practices).

  5. Clean the System Registry

    • Use a trusted registry cleaner or manually check for suspicious entries related to the Trojan (e.g., under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\AppInit_DLLs).

  6. Prevent Future Attacks

    • Enable Controlled Folder Access (in Windows Security) to block unauthorized DLL injections.
    • Restrict write permissions to critical directories like System32.
    • Regularly update your operating system and software to patch security flaws.

Example: If a trojan hijacks a game’s DLL (e.g., game.dll), the malware might replace it with a malicious version in the game’s folder. Scanning with an antivirus, removing the fake DLL, and updating the game can resolve the issue.

For enhanced security, consider using Tencent Cloud’s Host Security Service, which provides real-time threat detection, vulnerability scanning, and malware removal for servers. It helps prevent DLL hijacking by monitoring suspicious file changes and blocking malicious processes.