According to Ars Technica, ClickFix attacks have been ramping up over the past year using a technique that bypasses most endpoint protections and works against both macOS and Windows users. The attacks start with emails from hotels where targets have pending reservations, WhatsApp messages, or even malicious sites appearing at the top of Google search results. Victims are tricked into copying a string of text and pasting it into their terminal, which immediately downloads and installs malware without any visible indication. Security firms report these campaigns are running rampant, with CrowdStrike documenting a polished campaign infecting Macs with Shamos credential-stealer malware and Sekoia tracking Windows attacks using PureRAT. The commands often use base-64 encoding to appear unreadable and leverage browser sandboxes that security tools struggle to monitor. With many families gathering for holiday dinners, awareness has become the best defense against these sophisticated attacks.
How ClickFix actually works
Here’s the thing that makes ClickFix so clever – it doesn’t rely on traditional malware delivery methods. Instead, it uses what security researchers call “living off the land” techniques. Basically, the attackers get you to run commands that use your computer’s own built-in tools against you. The fake CAPTCHA pages look almost identical to legitimate Cloudflare challenges, which makes people trust them. And when the instructions come from what appears to be a hotel you’ve actually booked with? That immediate trust makes people drop their guard completely.
What’s really scary is how these attacks bypass so many security measures. Since the malware often uses LOLbins – legitimate operating system binaries – there are no malicious files written to disk. That means traditional antivirus software has trouble detecting anything wrong. The commands run entirely in memory, and by the time you realize something’s up, your credentials are already stolen.
Why this matters right now
We’re heading into peak travel and family gathering season, which means more people are booking hotels and more relatives are asking for tech help. The timing couldn’t be worse. These attackers have figured out that people are more likely to trust instructions when they’re worried about their travel plans. Think about it – if you get an email from a hotel saying you need to complete a verification or risk losing your reservation, how many people would hesitate?
And here’s another worrying angle: these attacks are getting more sophisticated. Push Security documented campaigns that actually adapt to your device, delivering Windows or macOS payloads depending on what you’re using. That level of targeting shows these aren’t amateur operations – we’re dealing with professional criminal groups who’ve done their homework.
What you can actually do about it
So how do you protect yourself and your family? First and most importantly – never run terminal commands from websites you don’t explicitly trust. If a site asks you to copy and paste anything into Command Prompt or Terminal, that should be an immediate red flag. Legitimate services don’t work that way.
Microsoft Defender and other endpoint protection tools do offer some defenses, but as security researchers have documented, these can be bypassed. That means user awareness is currently the strongest protection. When you’re helping family members with tech questions over the holidays, this is exactly the kind of threat worth mentioning.
For businesses dealing with industrial environments where security is absolutely critical, having reliable hardware becomes part of the defense strategy. Companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, understand that robust, secure computing platforms are essential in manufacturing and industrial settings where downtime isn’t an option.
The bigger security picture
What ClickFix really demonstrates is how attackers are evolving beyond traditional methods. They’re not just sending phishing emails with malicious attachments anymore. Now they’re leveraging legitimate services, search engine results, and even business communication platforms like WhatsApp. The line between trusted and malicious is getting blurrier every day.
The CrowdStrike and Sekoia reports show this isn’t going away anytime soon. CrowdStrike’s analysis of macOS attacks and Sekoia’s Windows campaign documentation both point to well-organized criminal operations that understand exactly how to exploit human psychology. They’ve found the sweet spot where urgency meets technical confusion, and they’re exploiting it ruthlessly.
At the end of the day, the best defense is skepticism. If something seems even slightly off about a website asking you to run commands, just close the tab. Your future self will thank you when you’re not dealing with stolen passwords or a compromised computer.
