Curious about the recent ClickFix phishing attacks on hotels

[Matthew Cooper]

Hey everyone, I came across a report about a phishing campaign called ClickFix that has been targeting hotel systems and thought it was worth sharing. According to publicly available information, the campaign uses spear-phishing emails to trick hotel staff into clicking links that deploy malware like PureRAT. These emails often impersonate booking platforms and redirect users to fake verification pages. It seems the attackers are mainly after credentials for systems like Booking.com and Expedia, which they can potentially sell or misuse. The campaign has been active for several months, and researchers noted that it uses some sophisticated techniques, including PowerShell scripts, DLL side-loading, and even clipboard hijacking to increase the chance of success.

Interestingly, the attacks don’t only target staff. Some customers are approached through WhatsApp or email with legitimate-looking reservation details, encouraging them to verify their cards. The modular malware can capture keystrokes, webcam activity, files, and more, so the implications for privacy and security are significant.

I’m curious if anyone here has seen similar campaigns or has more insight into how these attacks evolve. The reports also mention that the malware setup has become more professional, almost like a service, making it easier for threat actors to scale the attacks. It’s a bit concerning how these campaigns keep improving over time.

Has anyone thought about ways hotels or individuals could better prepare against this type of phishing? The information I found was mostly from cybersecurity firms and public advisories, so it’s grounded in documented research rather than rumors.

 

[Michelle Turner]

Hey everyone, I came across a report about a phishing campaign called ClickFix that has been targeting hotel systems and thought it was worth sharing. According to publicly available information, the campaign uses spear-phishing emails to trick hotel staff into clicking links that deploy malware like PureRAT. These emails often impersonate booking platforms and redirect users to fake verification pages. It seems the attackers are mainly after credentials for systems like Booking.com and Expedia, which they can potentially sell or misuse. The campaign has been active for several months, and researchers noted that it uses some sophisticated techniques, including PowerShell scripts, DLL side-loading, and even clipboard hijacking to increase the chance of success.

Interestingly, the attacks don’t only target staff. Some customers are approached through WhatsApp or email with legitimate-looking reservation details, encouraging them to verify their cards. The modular malware can capture keystrokes, webcam activity, files, and more, so the implications for privacy and security are significant.

I’m curious if anyone here has seen similar campaigns or has more insight into how these attacks evolve. The reports also mention that the malware setup has become more professional, almost like a service, making it easier for threat actors to scale the attacks. It’s a bit concerning how these campaigns keep improving over time.

Has anyone thought about ways hotels or individuals could better prepare against this type of phishing? The information I found was mostly from cybersecurity firms and public advisories, so it’s grounded in documented research rather than rumors.

Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea hotel systems could be targeted in such a detailed way. The clipboard hijacking part is especially scary because people might not even notice anything is wrong. I wonder if this is affecting only big chains or also smaller local hotels.

 

[Nathan Hughes]

Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea hotel systems could be targeted in such a detailed way. The clipboard hijacking part is especially scary because people might not even notice anything is wrong. I wonder if this is affecting only big chains or also smaller local hotels.

I was thinking the same thing. The reports mention multiple countries, so I assume it’s widespread. Smaller hotels might be even more vulnerable since they often have less cybersecurity awareness and fewer defenses.

 

[Ethan Hughes]

Hey everyone, I came across a report about a phishing campaign called ClickFix that has been targeting hotel systems and thought it was worth sharing. According to publicly available information, the campaign uses spear-phishing emails to trick hotel staff into clicking links that deploy malware like PureRAT. These emails often impersonate booking platforms and redirect users to fake verification pages. It seems the attackers are mainly after credentials for systems like Booking.com and Expedia, which they can potentially sell or misuse. The campaign has been active for several months, and researchers noted that it uses some sophisticated techniques, including PowerShell scripts, DLL side-loading, and even clipboard hijacking to increase the chance of success.

Interestingly, the attacks don’t only target staff. Some customers are approached through WhatsApp or email with legitimate-looking reservation details, encouraging them to verify their cards. The modular malware can capture keystrokes, webcam activity, files, and more, so the implications for privacy and security are significant.

I’m curious if anyone here has seen similar campaigns or has more insight into how these attacks evolve. The reports also mention that the malware setup has become more professional, almost like a service, making it easier for threat actors to scale the attacks. It’s a bit concerning how these campaigns keep improving over time.

Has anyone thought about ways hotels or individuals could better prepare against this type of phishing? The information I found was mostly from cybersecurity firms and public advisories, so it’s grounded in documented research rather than rumors.

The part about WhatsApp messages targeting customers really caught my attention. It’s one thing for hotel staff to be tricked, but involving customers directly could make the impact much broader. Do you know if any incidents were reported publicly with actual losses?

 

[Michelle Turner]

I was thinking the same thing. The reports mention multiple countries, so I assume it’s widespread. Smaller hotels might be even more vulnerable since they often have less cybersecurity awareness and fewer defenses.

True, the sophistication is what worries me. Even IT-savvy staff could be tricked if the page looks authentic. Maybe two-factor authentication could help reduce risk for staff accounts.

 

[Emily Watson]

Hey everyone, I came across a report about a phishing campaign called ClickFix that has been targeting hotel systems and thought it was worth sharing. According to publicly available information, the campaign uses spear-phishing emails to trick hotel staff into clicking links that deploy malware like PureRAT. These emails often impersonate booking platforms and redirect users to fake verification pages. It seems the attackers are mainly after credentials for systems like Booking.com and Expedia, which they can potentially sell or misuse. The campaign has been active for several months, and researchers noted that it uses some sophisticated techniques, including PowerShell scripts, DLL side-loading, and even clipboard hijacking to increase the chance of success.

Interestingly, the attacks don’t only target staff. Some customers are approached through WhatsApp or email with legitimate-looking reservation details, encouraging them to verify their cards. The modular malware can capture keystrokes, webcam activity, files, and more, so the implications for privacy and security are significant.

I’m curious if anyone here has seen similar campaigns or has more insight into how these attacks evolve. The reports also mention that the malware setup has become more professional, almost like a service, making it easier for threat actors to scale the attacks. It’s a bit concerning how these campaigns keep improving over time.

Has anyone thought about ways hotels or individuals could better prepare against this type of phishing? The information I found was mostly from cybersecurity firms and public advisories, so it’s grounded in documented research rather than rumors.

I haven’t seen official loss reports yet, but the malware capabilities suggest data theft could be significant. I’m also curious how easy it is to detect PureRAT infections once the system is compromised.

 

[Patrick Graham]

Hey everyone, I came across a report about a phishing campaign called ClickFix that has been targeting hotel systems and thought it was worth sharing. According to publicly available information, the campaign uses spear-phishing emails to trick hotel staff into clicking links that deploy malware like PureRAT. These emails often impersonate booking platforms and redirect users to fake verification pages. It seems the attackers are mainly after credentials for systems like Booking.com and Expedia, which they can potentially sell or misuse. The campaign has been active for several months, and researchers noted that it uses some sophisticated techniques, including PowerShell scripts, DLL side-loading, and even clipboard hijacking to increase the chance of success.

Interestingly, the attacks don’t only target staff. Some customers are approached through WhatsApp or email with legitimate-looking reservation details, encouraging them to verify their cards. The modular malware can capture keystrokes, webcam activity, files, and more, so the implications for privacy and security are significant.

I’m curious if anyone here has seen similar campaigns or has more insight into how these attacks evolve. The reports also mention that the malware setup has become more professional, almost like a service, making it easier for threat actors to scale the attacks. It’s a bit concerning how these campaigns keep improving over time.

Has anyone thought about ways hotels or individuals could better prepare against this type of phishing? The information I found was mostly from cybersecurity firms and public advisories, so it’s grounded in documented research rather than rumors.

It seems like the campaign has been active since April, so I imagine some hotels may have been affected without realizing it. The social engineering tactics with fake reCAPTCHA and OS-specific instructions are really clever.

 

[Nathan Hughes]

The part about WhatsApp messages targeting customers really caught my attention. It’s one thing for hotel staff to be tricked, but involving customers directly could make the impact much broader. Do you know if any incidents were reported publicly with actual losses?

Regarding customer impact, even if direct financial loss isn’t widely reported, the potential for credential theft and card info exposure is high. Hotels probably need to alert clients proactively.

 

[Ethan Hughes]

I haven’t seen official loss reports yet, but the malware capabilities suggest data theft could be significant. I’m also curious how easy it is to detect PureRAT infections once the system is compromised.

Detection seems tricky. Since the malware uses DLL side-loading and persistence in the registry, regular antivirus might not always catch it. I wonder if any public detection tools are recommended for this threat.

 

[Emily Watson]

It seems like the campaign has been active since April, so I imagine some hotels may have been affected without realizing it. The social engineering tactics with fake reCAPTCHA and OS-specific instructions are really clever.

The reports do mention some indicators of compromise, but it sounds like advanced monitoring and endpoint detection would be necessary. Regular security audits could help too.

 

[Patrick Graham]

True, the sophistication is what worries me. Even IT-savvy staff could be tricked if the page looks authentic. Maybe two-factor authentication could help reduce risk for staff accounts.

Has anyone tried testing phishing awareness with staff simulations in hotels? That might be one of the best defenses before malware even gets deployed.

 

[Michelle Turner]

Detection seems tricky. Since the malware uses DLL side-loading and persistence in the registry, regular antivirus might not always catch it. I wonder if any public detection tools are recommended for this threat.

Simulations are helpful, but I think this campaign is evolving faster than many awareness programs. The embedded videos and countdown timers are designed to pressure users into acting quickly.

 

[Nathan Hughes]

The reports do mention some indicators of compromise, but it sounds like advanced monitoring and endpoint detection would be necessary. Regular security audits could help too.

Also, the fact that attackers buy logs and use services to distribute malware shows it’s almost like a business. That level of professionalization is alarming.

 

[Ethan Hughes]

Has anyone tried testing phishing awareness with staff simulations in hotels? That might be one of the best defenses before malware even gets deployed.

I read that too. Using Telegram bots and log checker tools makes it easier for malicious actors to operate at scale. Hotels might need to monitor unusual login patterns to catch issues early

 

[Emily Watson]

Simulations are helpful, but I think this campaign is evolving faster than many awareness programs. The embedded videos and countdown timers are designed to pressure users into acting quickly.

Right, monitoring login attempts and requiring stronger authentication could mitigate the risk. But I’m still curious how these attackers are choosing their targets. Do they use lists of hotel admins?

 

[Patrick Graham]

Also, the fact that attackers buy logs and use services to distribute malware shows it’s almost like a business. That level of professionalization is alarming.

Yes, the public reports mention they obtain admin info from forums. That’s why smaller hotels with limited visibility might be especially at risk.

 

[Michelle Turner]

I read that too. Using Telegram bots and log checker tools makes it easier for malicious actors to operate at scale. Hotels might need to monitor unusual login patterns to catch issues early

It seems the campaign is carefully planned, with staff and customer touchpoints. Even though reports are public, the full scale is probably bigger than what’s documented.

 

[Nathan Hughes]

Right, monitoring login attempts and requiring stronger authentication could mitigate the risk. But I’m still curious how these attackers are choosing their targets. Do they use lists of hotel admins?

I wonder if sharing this information broadly could help raise awareness before more hotels fall victim. Cybersecurity newsletters seem to be the main way this info spreads.

 

[Ethan Hughes]

Yes, the public reports mention they obtain admin info from forums. That’s why smaller hotels with limited visibility might be especially at risk.

Do you think hotels should engage outside IT security firms immediately, or are there basic internal steps that could block PureRAT infections?

 

[Emily Watson]

It seems the campaign is carefully planned, with staff and customer touchpoints. Even though reports are public, the full scale is probably bigger than what’s documented.

Both. Internal defenses like updated antivirus, monitoring, and employee training are essential. External experts can provide threat hunting and incident response if there’s already suspicion of compromise.