Analyzing a Full ClickFix Attack Chain - Part 1
Essential information
- Published
- 23/04/2026 14:31
- Modified
- 27/04/2026 14:37
- Tags
- 2026-04-23 clickfix dropper fake captcha fileless execution persistence mechanism phishing powershell social engineering
- Related entities
- 3 observables, 4 others
Description
A sophisticated ClickFix campaign was detected in mid-March 2026, beginning with a malicious webpage impersonating Booking.com's visual identity with a fake CAPTCHA. The attack leverages social engineering to trick victims into executing a PowerShell command that downloads and runs a script directly in memory. The JavaScript code automatically copies malicious commands to the clipboard and intercepts copy events. Once executed, the PowerShell dropper performs system fingerprinting, downloads a ZIP payload from a remote server, deploys it to user directories, establishes persistence through registry keys and scheduled tasks, and executes the final payload. The campaign demonstrates well-structured code with fallback mechanisms and real-time telemetry via Telegram, suggesting the use of a ready-to-use attack kit.