Potential Goopdate.DLL Sideloading

 1title: Potential Goopdate.DLL Sideloading
 2id: b6188d2f-b3c4-4d2c-a17d-9706e0851af0
 3status: test
 4description: Detects potential DLL sideloading of "goopdate.dll", a DLL used by googleupdate.exe
 5references:
 6    - https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/static-assets/documents/malware-analysis-reports/goofy-guineapig/NCSC-MAR-Goofy-Guineapig.pdf
 7author: X__Junior (Nextron Systems), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
 8date: 2023-05-15
 9modified: 2025-10-07
10tags:
11    - attack.persistence
12    - attack.privilege-escalation
13    - attack.execution
14    - attack.stealth
15    - attack.t1574.001
16logsource:
17    category: image_load
18    product: windows
19detection:
20    selection:
21        ImageLoaded|endswith: '\goopdate.dll'
22    filter_main_generic:
23        ImageLoaded|startswith:
24            # Many third party chromium based apps use this DLLs. It's better to create a baseline and add specific filters
25            - 'C:\Program Files (x86)\'
26            - 'C:\Program Files\'
27    filter_optional_dropbox_installer_temp:
28        Image|contains|all:
29            - '\AppData\Local\Temp\GUM'
30            - '.tmp\Dropbox'
31        ImageLoaded|contains|all:
32            - '\AppData\Local\Temp\GUM'
33            - '.tmp\goopdate.dll'
34    filter_optional_googleupdate_temp:
35        Image|contains:
36            - '\AppData\Local\Temp\GUM'
37            - ':\Windows\SystemTemp\GUM'
38        Image|endswith: '.tmp\GoogleUpdate.exe'
39        ImageLoaded|contains:
40            - '\AppData\Local\Temp\GUM'
41            - ':\Windows\SystemTemp\GUM'
42    condition: selection and not 1 of filter_main_* and not 1 of filter_optional_*
43falsepositives:
44    - False positives are expected from Google Chrome installations running from user locations (AppData) and other custom locations. Apply additional filters accordingly.
45    - Other third party chromium browsers located in AppData
46level: medium