Hardening Windows Applications Against DLL Hijacking

DLL hijacking remains a practical Windows application risk because attackers can exploit library loading behavior to run malicious code under trusted processes. The article explains how defensive DLL proxying can reduce that risk by validating library integrity, enforcing trusted load paths, checking caller context, detecting some in-memory tampering, and logging suspicious events. It also shows, through a sample Windows implementation, that mitigation depends on explicit loading controls rather than default OS behavior. For technology leaders, the implication is clear: Windows application security often requires code-level safeguards in addition to endpoint and perimeter defenses.