DLL hijacking protection in Trojan Antivirus refers to a security mechanism designed to prevent malicious actors from exploiting the Dynamic Link Library (DLL) search order in Windows systems to inject or execute harmful code. This type of attack, known as DLL hijacking or DLL preloading, occurs when an application loads a DLL from the current directory or an untrusted path instead of the intended system directory, allowing attackers to place a malicious DLL with the same name in that location. The antivirus or security software with DLL hijacking protection detects and blocks such suspicious DLL loading behaviors to stop potential Trojans or malware from being executed.
For example, suppose a legitimate application does not specify an absolute path for a required DLL and relies on the default Windows DLL search order. An attacker could place a maliciously crafted DLL with the same name in the same folder as the application’s executable. When the application runs, it might unintentionally load the attacker’s DLL instead of the legitimate one, leading to compromised system security. With DLL hijacking protection enabled, the antivirus software monitors the DLL loading process, verifies the integrity and origin of the DLLs, and blocks any unauthorized or suspicious DLLs from being loaded.
In the context of cloud-based security solutions, platforms like Tencent Cloud offer advanced threat detection and endpoint protection services that include DLL hijacking prevention. These services help monitor application behavior, enforce secure DLL loading practices, and protect systems against various forms of Trojan and malware attacks, ensuring a more secure computing environment.