A real ClickFix campaign abused ChatGPT “Custom GPTs” to impersonate legitimate tools and trick people into running PowerShell commands on their own computers. Victims were funneled from a sponsored Google result to a fake “backup domain” on Google Sites with a Cloudflare CAPTCHA-style prompt, which instructed them to run commands that downloaded a malicious installer and ultimately deployed a remote access trojan (RAT).
This campaign combined malvertising, impersonation, and ClickFix-style execution tricks. Attackers created malicious ChatGPT Custom GPTs and used Google sponsored search results to place them at the top of search rankings for people looking for ChatGPT. Victims who clicked through were directed to a Google Sites page presented as a legitimate backup domain, complete with a Cloudflare CAPTCHA-style check. That page instructed users to run PowerShell commands, which downloaded a malicious MSI installer as part of a multi-stage infection chain, ultimately deploying a remote access trojan.
The attack relied on trust in familiar-looking infrastructure rather than technical exploits. A sponsored Google result gave the fake tool an appearance of legitimacy, and the notice claiming limited availability on the primary domain gave victims a plausible reason to follow a link to an unfamiliar site. Once there, a CAPTCHA-style verification step made running a command feel like a routine security check rather than a red flag. According to the reporting, at least 40 users were infected, and at least two incidents were linked directly to a Custom GPT instance. The campaign also used signed or legitimate software components, including a Canon-signed application and later a Stardock executable and DLL, to aid execution and evasion.
OpenAI removed one malicious GPT identified in this campaign, but a second appeared shortly after, showing that takedowns alone do not stop the technique.
Huntress noted that threat actors are finding success in this specific abuse of Custom GPTs for social engineering and are continuing to rely on this technique, which suggests organizations should expect similar lures involving other popular AI tools going forward.
Mirage safely runs attacks like this one against your own team, so you find out what happens before a real adversary does.
ClickFix is a social engineering technique where a fake webpage, often disguised as a CAPTCHA or verification check, instructs the victim to manually run a PowerShell command that downloads and installs malware.
Victims searched for ChatGPT on Google, clicked a sponsored search result, and were directed to a malicious Custom GPT that pointed them to a fake backup domain hosted on Google Sites.
The page displayed a notice claiming limited availability on the primary domain and asked users to use a backup domain, a common tactic to move victims onto attacker-controlled infrastructure.
They should never run PowerShell or terminal commands from a website or CAPTCHA-style prompt, and should instead escalate the request to IT or security teams for verification.
You Google “ChatGPT”, click the top sponsored result, and land on a Custom GPT that looks totally legit. It pops up a notice: “Limited availability through the primary domain. Please upgrade or use the service through our backup domain,” and hands you a Google Sites link. The backup site shows a fake Cloudflare-style check and tells you to run a PowerShell command to ‘verify access’, that command quietly pulls down a malicious installer and a remote access trojan. Here’s the move: if any website or Custom GPT ever tells you to run PowerShell or terminal commands, stop immediately and send a screenshot to IT or Security.
Attackers abused real ChatGPT “Custom GPT” pages and a fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA to trick users into copying and pasting a PowerShell command on Windows. That command installed a malicious MSI and led to a multi-stage infection ending in a remote access trojan (RAT) with deep control of the victim’s…
Researchers observed threat actors creating attacker-made ChatGPT Custom GPTs that look legitimate, then steering users to a Google Sites “backup domain.” Victims are shown a fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA that tricks them into copying and running a malicious PowerShell command, which downloads and runs…
Researchers found a real malware campaign where attackers abused ChatGPT “CustomGPTs” and Google sponsored search results to funnel victims to a fake ChatGPT experience. Victims are shown a fake “Service Availability Notice” and pushed to a “backup domain” that looks like a Cloudflare CAPTCHA,…
Attackers used sponsored Google search ads to lure people to a malicious ChatGPT Custom GPT (“Plus 5.6”) hosted on the real chatgpt.com site. The Custom GPT redirected victims to a fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA page that instructed them to copy/paste a command into a terminal, leading to installation of…
A real-world social engineering attempt used a legitimate Google Doc to trick a target into manually running commands that installed malware. The attacker posed as a crypto marketing executive and used a fake “decryption failure” message and a “manual update” button as the lure, leading to an…
A campaign dubbed “TerminalFix” uses compromised websites to display fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA checks that instruct visitors to copy and run a PowerShell command. The goal is to get a user to run attacker-provided commands themselves, which can lead to persistent access and deeper intrusion into the…
