Elastic

TELEPUZ Malware Spreads via ClickFix Social Engineering, Targets Windows with Modular Capabilities and Resilient C2 Infrastructure

Since late April 2026, compromised websites have been distributing the new modular malware TELEPUZ through the ClickFix scheme. Attackers replace standard browser error fixes with instructions that trick users into pasting and executing a PowerShell command from the clipboard, which then downloads an intermediate loader, the Vidar infostealer, and finally TELEPUZ via rundll32.exe. The malware performs extensive environment checks to avoid sandboxes and debuggers before disabling Windows security features, escalating privileges, and persisting as a service inside svchost.exe. For command-and-control, TELEPUZ relies on WebSocket connections with multiple fallback mechanisms, including encrypted links stored in Telegram profiles, Steam accounts, DNS records, and a Polygon smart contract. It offers a wide range of capabilities such as file manipulation, keylogging, screenshot capture, process management, cookie theft from Chromium browsers, and arbitrary JavaScript execution in both Chromium and Firefox. Researchers at Elastic assess TELEPUZ as a malware-as-a-service offering still in early development, evidenced by a limited number of C2 domains yet frequent daily builds and rapid updates hosted on compromised sites in Brazil and India.