DLL

Shared Windows code modules; DLL injection and sideloading are common attacks.

A Dynamic Link Library is a shared module of Windows code and data that programs load at runtime instead of compiling in. Attackers abuse the loading process through DLL injection, which forces malicious code into a running process, and DLL sideloading, which plants a malicious library where a trusted program will load it. Controlling load paths and requiring signed libraries shrinks this attack surface.