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Contributing to DLLHijackHunter

First off, thanks for considering contributing to DLLHijackHunter! 🎉 Every contribution helps make this tool better for the security community.

Table of Contents

Code of Conduct

This project follows our Code of Conduct. By participating, you agree to uphold a welcoming, respectful environment.

How Can I Contribute?

There are many ways to contribute beyond writing code:

Contribution Type Examples
Bug Reports Found a false positive? Crash on a specific config?
Feature Requests New hijack type, output format, filter idea
Code Bug fixes, new features, performance improvements
Documentation Fix typos, improve explanations, add examples
Testing Run scans on different Windows versions and report results
Canary Templates New canary DLL templates for edge cases

Getting Started

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub.
  2. Clone your fork locally: 
    git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/DLLHijackingHunter.git
cd DLLHijackingHunter
  3. Create a branch for your work: 
    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Development Setup

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10/11 (for testing — the tool is Windows-specific)
  • .NET 8.0 SDK — Download
  • Visual Studio 2022 or VS Code with C# extensions (recommended)
  • Administrator privileges for running canary tests

Build

# Restore and build
dotnet build src/DLLHijackHunter/DLLHijackHunter.csproj -c Debug

# Run
dotnet run --project src/DLLHijackHunter/DLLHijackHunter.csproj -- --profile safe

# Publish self-contained binary
dotnet publish src/DLLHijackHunter/DLLHijackHunter.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained -p:PublishSingleFile=true -o ./publish

Project Structure

src/DLLHijackHunter/
├── Discovery/      # Static + ETW engines, PE analysis
├── Filters/        # Hard gates + soft gates
├── Canary/         # DLL builder, trigger, confirmation
├── Models/         # Data models, profiles, enums
├── Scoring/        # Tiered scoring algorithm
├── Reporting/      # Console, JSON, HTML reports
├── Native/         # P/Invoke, ACL checks, tokens
└── Program.cs      # CLI entry point

Coding Guidelines

Style

  • Follow existing code conventions in the project.
  • Use PascalCase for public members, camelCase for locals.
  • Add XML doc comments (///) for all public types and methods.
  • Keep methods focused — prefer small, single-responsibility methods.

Commits

  • Write clear, concise commit messages.
  • Use the present tense: "Add phantom DLL filter" not "Added phantom DLL filter".
  • Reference issues where applicable: "Fix #42 — false positive on api-ms-* DLLs".

Testing

  • Test your changes on at least one Windows version before submitting.
  • For new filters or hijack types, include sample scenarios in your PR description.
  • Use --profile safe for non-destructive testing.

Submitting Changes

  1. Ensure your code builds without warnings: 
    dotnet build src/DLLHijackHunter/DLLHijackHunter.csproj -c Release
  2. Push your branch to your fork: 
    git push origin feature/your-feature-name
  3. Open a Pull Request against main on the upstream repository.
  4. Fill out the PR template — describe what you changed and why.
  5. Be responsive to code review feedback.

PR Merge Criteria

  • ✅ Builds without warnings
  • ✅ Doesn't break existing functionality
  • ✅ Follows coding guidelines
  • ✅ Has a clear description and rationale
  • ✅ Security-sensitive changes reviewed by a maintainer

Reporting Bugs

Use the Bug Report template and include:

  • OS version (e.g., Windows 11 23H2)
  • DLLHijackHunter version or commit hash
  • Command line used
  • Expected vs. actual behavior
  • Relevant log output (use --verbose)

Suggesting Features

Use the Feature Request template and describe:

  • The problem your feature would solve
  • Your proposed solution
  • Alternatives you've considered

Security Vulnerabilities

If you discover a security vulnerability, do NOT open a public issue. Please see our Security Policy for responsible disclosure instructions.

Thank you for helping make DLLHijackHunter better! 🔍
Built by GhostVector Academy