CyberStack

MITRE ATT&CK / Techniques / T1574.009

Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Unquoted Path

ID
T1574.009
Tactics
TA0002 Execution, TA0005 Stealth
Sub-technique of
T1574 Hijack Execution Flow
Platforms
Windows
Data sources
Windows Registry Key Modification, File Creation, Process Creation, File Metadata
Source
attack.mitre.org
MITRE last modified
12 May 2026

Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking vulnerable file path references. Adversaries can take advantage of paths that lack surrounding quotations by placing an executable in a higher level directory within the path, so that Windows will choose the adversary's executable to launch.

Service paths [10] and shortcut paths may also be vulnerable to path interception if the path has one or more spaces and is not surrounded by quotation marks (e.g., C:\unsafe path with space\program.exe vs. "C:\safe path with space\program.exe"). [11] (stored in Windows Registry keys) An adversary can place an executable in a higher level directory of the path, and Windows will resolve that executable instead of the intended executable. For example, if the path in a shortcut is C:\program files\myapp.exe, an adversary may create a program at C:\program.exe that will be run instead of the intended program. [12] [13]

This technique can be used for persistence if executables are called on a regular basis, as well as privilege escalation if intercepted executables are started by a higher privileged process.

Detection

Mitigations (3)

M1022 Restrict File and Directory Permissions

Ensure that proper permissions and directory access control are set to deny users the ability to write files to the top-level directory C: and system directories, such as C:\Windows\, to reduce places where malicious files could be placed for execution. Require that all executables be placed in write-protected directories.

M1038 Execution Prevention

Adversaries will likely need to place new binaries in locations to be executed through this weakness. Identify and block potentially malicious software executed path interception by using application control tools, like Windows Defender Application Control, AppLocker, or Software Restriction Policies where appropriate.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

M1047 Audit

Find and eliminate path interception weaknesses in program configuration files, scripts, the PATH environment variable, services, and in shortcuts by surrounding PATH variables with quotation marks when functions allow for them. Be aware of the search order Windows uses for executing or loading binaries and use fully qualified paths wherever appropriate.

Clean up old Windows Registry keys when software is uninstalled to avoid keys with no associated legitimate binaries. Periodically search for and correct or report path interception weaknesses on systems that may have been introduced using custom or available tools that report software using insecure path configurations.[7][8][9]

Software (2)

References

  1. SANS Application Whitelisting
  2. Microsoft Windows Defender Application Control
  3. Windows Commands JPCERT
  4. NSA MS AppLocker
  5. Microsoft Application Lockdown
  6. Microsoft Using Software Restriction
  7. Microsoft CreateProcess
  8. Microsoft Dynamic-Link Library Security
  9. Vulnerability and Exploit Detector
  10. Microsoft CurrentControlSet Services
  11. Help eliminate unquoted path
  12. Windows Unquoted Services
  13. Windows Privilege Escalation Guide