Fake CAPTCHA attacks do not infect a device because you tick an “I’m not a robot” box. The danger is a page that impersonates human verification, a browser error, or a familiar service and then tells you to open Run, PowerShell, or Terminal and execute text you did not write. That paste-and-run trick is known as ClickFix. If a web page asks you to run a command to verify yourself, stop.
What the late-2024 rise means
Researchers reported growing use of ClickFix in the second half of 2024, but the available reports do not establish one universal count of attacks for that period. Their timelines reflect different observation methods. HHS HC3’s October 29, 2024 alert places earlier ClickFix-style activity in March, fake CAPTCHA infrastructure in August, and phishing lures targeting GitHub users in September. Red Canary likewise says paste-and-run grew more popular in the second half of 2024; its first observation was in August, while other researchers had reported use as early as March.
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Proofpoint’s November 18, 2024 report also described increased use and said it observed a fake CAPTCHA-themed variant in email threat data shortly after an open-source toolkit appeared in mid-September. These reports support a rise in observed adoption, not a complete worldwide attack tally.
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1. You arrive at a visual lure
A link, email attachment, malvertisement, or compromised website may lead to a page resembling a browser error, a document-opening problem, a familiar online service, or a human-verification widget such as reCAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile. The lure can use wording such as “Verify You Are Human.” The branding may look familiar, but that does not make the page trustworthy. Proofpoint’s November 2024 report, Microsoft’s August 2025 analysis, and HHS HC3’s October 2024 alert describe these kinds of lures and delivery routes.
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2. The page tells you to perform a “fix”
Instead of completing an ordinary visual challenge, the page gives keyboard shortcuts or instructions to open Windows Run, PowerShell, Terminal, or another command environment, then paste text. Some variants put a command on the clipboard without making its contents clear to you. That is the crucial moment: a CAPTCHA image or checkbox is not itself the execution; following the page’s command instructions is.
3. The pasted command can start a malware chain
When run, the command may download or launch scripts and additional malware. Because the victim initiates execution, this social-engineering technique can evade some automated controls. Proofpoint reported campaigns delivering AsyncRAT, DanaBot, DarkGate, Lumma Stealer, and NetSupport, among other malware. That list describes observed campaign payloads; it does not mean every prompt delivered the same malware or that every person who encountered a lure was infected. ESET’s threat-report page also discusses the technique and its detection classification.
What to look out for
- A page says you must open Run, PowerShell, Terminal, or Command Prompt to prove you are human or repair a browser problem.
- You are told to paste clipboard contents that you did not create and cannot inspect.
- A familiar-looking CAPTCHA is paired with unexpected keyboard shortcuts or command-line directions.
- An unexpected email link or HTML attachment sends you into a verification flow, even if the page imitates a familiar brand or service.
The memorable rule is simple: web verification should not require running a command on your device.
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ESET reported that its detection for ClickFix, HTML/FakeCaptcha, grew by 517% between H2 2024 and H1 2025. ESET said those detections accounted for nearly 8% of all blocked attacks in the same report. These are ESET telemetry figures for a defined detection classification and period, not a universal count of ClickFix attacks. ESET also notes that related stages can be detected under other names, so the HTML/FakeCaptcha figure may not capture the technique’s full prevalence. ESET Threat Report H1 2025.
Separately, Microsoft said its teams observed campaigns targeting thousands of enterprise and end-user devices globally every day by the time of its August 2025 analysis. That is Microsoft’s description of its own observations, not an independently verified global total. Microsoft, August 21, 2025.
What to do if a page asks you to run a command
- Do not paste or run it. Do not follow the page’s keyboard shortcuts or directions, even if it claims verification failed or a document needs fixing.
- Close the tab. If you still need the service, open it using a known address or a trusted bookmark rather than the suspicious link.
- If you already ran the command on a work device, contact IT or security promptly. Follow your organization’s incident-response instructions. Do not assume that an antivirus scan alone proves the device is safe.
How organizations can reduce exposure
No single control covers every route used by ClickFix. Organizations can combine user guidance with protections that inspect how links, attachments, processes, scripts, and network connections behave.
- Train users on the specific trick. Explain that web verification should never require opening a command shell or running page-provided text. Proofpoint recommends training users specifically on ClickFix.
- Inspect links and attachments. Email and web defenses can help identify suspicious destinations and HTML attachments before users reach a lure.
- Monitor endpoint activity. Look for unusual process chains, command-line execution, and script activity that follow a browser or document interaction.
- Correlate network and endpoint signals. HHS HC3 recommends analyzing abnormal traffic and correlating it with process and command-line activity.
Microsoft describes SmartScreen warnings, endpoint detection of suspicious process and command-line activity, script scanning, cloud protection, and email protection with fake-CAPTCHA behavioral signatures within its own product ecosystem. Those are vendor-described capabilities, not an independent comparison of security products. Microsoft’s ClickFix analysis; HHS HC3 alert; Proofpoint report.
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