COM automation is a fundamental Windows technology that enables scripts and applications to access system functionality, but it is frequently abused by malware to evade detection. Traditional dynamic analysis often fails to capture the semantic context of these interactions, leaving analysts with low-level API calls that mask the true intent of malicious scripts, especially those utilizing WMI or PowerShell.
To address this visibility gap, Cisco Talos has released DispatchLogger, an open-source tool designed to intercept late-bound IDispatch COM object interactions. By leveraging API hooking and transparent proxies, the tool performs recursive object wrapping, ensuring that every subsequent object created during a session is automatically instrumented and logged.
This approach allows for the comprehensive capture of method names, parameters, and return values, providing a high-fidelity audit trail for malware behavior. DispatchLogger is particularly effective against living-off-the-land techniques and fileless malware, offering a significant advantage over static analysis or manual debugger tracing without impacting system performance.
Top comments (0)