MITRE ATT&CKsub-technique

T1218.013 Mavinject

Published 2021-09-22 Modified 2026-05-12 Official page ↗
Domain
enterprise
Tactics
Stealth
Platforms
Windows
Version
3.0
Created
2021-09-22

Description

Adversaries may abuse mavinject.exe to proxy execution of malicious code. Mavinject.exe is the Microsoft Application Virtualization Injector, a Windows utility that can inject code into external processes as part of Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V). Adversaries may abuse mavinject.exe to inject malicious DLLs into running processes (i.e. Dynamic-link Library Injection), allowing for arbitrary code execution (ex. C:\Windows\system32\mavinject.exe PID /INJECTRUNNING PATH_DLL). Since mavinject.exe may be digitally signed by Microsoft, proxying execution via this method may evade detection by security products because the execution is masked under a legitimate process. In addition to Dynamic-link Library Injection, Mavinject.exe can also be abused to perform import descriptor injection via its /HMODULE command-line parameter (ex. mavinject.exe PID /HMODULE=BASE_ADDRESS PATH_DLL ORDINAL_NUMBER). This command would inject an import table entry consisting of the specified DLL into the module at the given base address.

Related

Subtechnique of · MITRE ATT&CK (1)

  • T1218 System Binary Proxy Execution technique

Tactic · MITRE ATT&CK (1)

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · mitigates (2)

  • M1038 Execution Prevention mitigation
  • M1042 Disable or Remove Feature or Program mitigation

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · uses (1)

  • S1239 TONESHELL software (malware)

Referenced by Compliance · mitigates (12)

  • CIS-2.5 Allowlist Authorized Software CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • NIST-CM-11 User-installed Software NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-2 Baseline Configuration NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-6 Configuration Settings NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-7 Least Functionality NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-8 System Component Inventory NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-RA-5 Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-10 Information Input Validation NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-16 Memory Protection NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-3 Malicious Code Protection NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-4 System Monitoring NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-7 Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity NIST 800-53 control

References