Compromised Websites Serving ClickFix Pages
Published Sources: NCSC NZ
What is affected, what to do
Compromised Websites Serving ClickFix Pages ClickFix is a social engineering technique that presents visitors to compromised websites with fake CAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile pages instructing them to run malicious commands, leading to the installation of infostealers or other malware on their devices. ClickFix campaigns commonly use compromised WordPress websites to deliver their malware.
The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below.
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Metrics
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Priority
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CVSS v3
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EPSS score
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- Severity
- Not rated
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 25.16 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Compromised Websites Serving ClickFix Pages ClickFix is a social engineering technique that presents visitors to compromised websites with fake CAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile pages instructing them to run malicious commands, leading to the installation of infostealers or other malware on their devices. ClickFix campaigns commonly use compromised WordPress websites to deliver their malware. If a website is serving a fake CAPTCHA or Cloudflare verification page, the website owner’s priority is not only to remove the visible prompt, but also remediate their compromised website, identify the original vector of compromise, and eliminate any persistence mechanisms that will reinfect the site. Remediating an infected website requires some technical knowledge. If you do not feel comfortable taking these actions yourself, we recommend you immediately take the site offline, reset your WordPress credentials, and then contact a local IT service provider to assist you. What to look for How to tell if you're affected Confirm the Infection Common indicators include: A fake Cloudflare "Verify You Are Human" page. Fake CAPTCHA or browser update prompts. Full-screen overlays appearing shortly after page load. JavaScript that copies PowerShell, Terminal, or shell commands to a visitor's clipboard. Behaviour only affecting real browsers, while scanners and search-engine crawlers see a clean page. Test from Multiple Sources Attackers frequently hide malicious content from: Search-engine crawlers Security scanners Headless browsers Test using: A normal browser session Incognito/private browsing Different IP addresses Mobile and desktop devices Analysis indicates that some ClickFix variants selectively target Windows and macOS browser user agents while presenting clean content to automated scanners. What to do Prevention Implement Long-Term Hardening WordPress Security Keep WordPress core updated. Remove unused plugins and themes. Monitor plugin advisories. Disable file editing from the WordPress dashboard. Access Control Enforce MFA. Apply least-privilege administration. Regularly audit accounts. Monitoring Implement: File integrity monitoring Vulnerability scanning Centralized logging Security alerting Microsoft notes that ClickFix campaigns can evade traditional automated detection because they depend on user interaction, making user awareness and layered technical controls important defensive measures. Mitigation For full details on how to mitigate, read the mitigation document below. ClickFix Mitigation [PDF, 162 KB] More information Recommended Recovery Statement If visitors may have been exposed, consider communicating: “Our website was found to contain unauthorized code displaying a fraudulent verification prompt. The issue has been removed and the affected systems have been remediated. Visitors who interacted with the prompt should not execute any commands that were copied to their clipboard and should immediately run endpoint security scans, reset passwords, and review their devices for signs of compromise .” Public communications for cyber security incidents: A framework for organisations If you require more information or further support, submit a report on our website. Report an incident