{
  "family": "convertad",
  "sample_count": 96,
  "category": "advanced_threat",
  "description": "Adware:Win32/Convertad is a persistent and aggressive adware network designed to silently install multiple Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs), inject intrusive advertisements into web pages, and harvest user search telemetry for monetization.<br><br><b>What is Convertad?</b><br>To the average user, a Convertad infection results in a severely degraded browsing experience. The browser homepage is altered, pop-ups appear constantly, and hyperlinked ads are injected directly into the text of legitimate websites. For security analysts, Convertad is a classic adware framework that leverages deceptive installation tactics and aggressive persistence mechanisms to ensure continued revenue generation for the affiliate network.<br><br><b>Infection Vectors & Threat Hunting</b><br>Convertad is primarily distributed via deceptive software bundlers (Pay-Per-Install networks) or fake 'update' alerts on untrusted download sites. Upon execution, the adware heavily modifies browser configurations. It drops malicious extensions across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. It establishes persistence by modifying the Windows Registry (`HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run`) and frequently employs scheduled tasks to reinstall any components the user attempts to remove. Convertad constantly communicates with its C2 infrastructure to download updated lists of ads to inject and to exfiltrate the user's browsing history.<br><br><b>Forensic Analysis & Impact</b><br>The impact is a degraded user experience, wasted system resources, and a total loss of browsing privacy. Incident responders will observe anomalous HTTP/HTTPS traffic to known ad-tracking networks. EDR logs will show the initial installer attempting to silently spawn child processes to install the secondary toolbars and extensions. The `%ProgramFiles%` directory will contain new, unrequested software folders.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [],
  "faq_count": 0,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1189",
    "T1562.001",
    "T1176",
    "T1112",
    "T1105"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1189",
      "name": "Drive-by Compromise",
      "tactic": "Initial Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1176",
      "name": "Browser Extensions",
      "tactic": "Persistence"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1112",
      "name": "Modify Registry",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1562.001",
      "name": "Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1105",
      "name": "Ingress Tool Transfer",
      "tactic": "Command and Control"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Quarantine the endpoint to halt the active exfiltration of browsing telemetry and the downloading of further adware modules.",
    "Deploy an enterprise adware removal tool (e.g., AdwCleaner) to locate and strip the deeply embedded registry hooks and watchdog scheduled tasks.",
    "Audit Windows Group Policies to remove any forced extension installation policies created by the adware.",
    "Force a complete reset of all installed web browsers to factory defaults to eradicate the rogue extensions and restore legitimate search engines."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not rely solely on the browser's 'remove extension' button; Convertad frequently uses scheduled tasks to immediately reinstall itself.",
    "Avoid ignoring the infection; adware tracking data is highly detailed and may expose corporate activities or access to internal portals."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}