{
  "family": "autophyte",
  "sample_count": 1,
  "category": "advanced_threat",
  "description": "<h3>Executive Summary</h3>\nAutophyte is a classic, legacy Macro Virus specifically designed to infect Microsoft Office documents (primarily Word and Excel). Operating entirely within the context of the Office application, Autophyte utilizes Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to replicate itself, sabotage documents, and spread rapidly across an organization via shared files and email attachments.\n\n<h3>Infection Vector and Technical Capabilities</h3>\nAutophyte spreads through the sharing of infected `.doc` or `.xls` files. When a user opens an infected document and enables macros, the virus executes its payload.\n\nOnce active, Autophyte leverages the powerful VBA environment:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Global Template Infection:</strong> The virus's primary objective is persistence. It immediately copies its malicious macro code into the global Office template file (e.g., `Normal.dot` in Word). Once the global template is infected, every new document created or opened by the user is automatically infected with the virus.</li>\n<li><strong>Stealth and Evasion:</strong> To prevent detection by the user, Autophyte often disables the macro security warning prompts (by modifying Office registry keys) and intercepts commands like `Tools -> Macro`, preventing the user from viewing or deleting the malicious code.</li>\n<li><strong>Vandalism/Payload:</strong> While the primary function is propagation, variants of Autophyte may include destructive payloads, such as randomly altering text, deleting data within the document, or executing external system commands upon the trigger of a specific date or event.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>Threat Assessment</h3>\nWhile legacy macro viruses like Autophyte are largely mitigated by the default security settings in modern versions of Microsoft Office (which disable macros by default and utilize `.docx`/`.xlsx` formats that cannot contain code), they remain a threat in environments utilizing outdated software or where users are routinely tricked into enabling macros via social engineering.\n\n<h3>Incident Response and Remediation</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Enforce Macro Security Policies:</strong> The definitive defense against macro viruses is strict Group Policy enforcement. Organizations must disable VBA macros by default, or explicitly require that all macros be digitally signed by a trusted internal certificate authority before execution.</li>\n<li><strong>Template Remediation:</strong> To clean an infected machine, the user must close all Office applications, locate the corrupted global template file (`Normal.dot` or `Normal.dotm`), and delete it. Microsoft Office will generate a fresh, clean template the next time the application is launched.</li>\n<li><strong>Document Scanning:</strong> Utilize enterprise antivirus solutions to scan file shares and email servers to quarantine any legacy `.doc` or `.xls` files containing the malicious Autophyte macro code.</li>\n</ul>",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Macro.Word.Autophyte",
    "W97M.Autophyte",
    "Virus.MSWord.Autophyte"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "insufficient_information",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1566.001",
    "T1059.005",
    "T1137.001"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-01T17:22:16Z",
  "type": "Macro Virus",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}