Convertad

Overview

ConvertAd (classified by security vendors as Adware:Win32/ConvertAd, PUA:Win32/ConvertAd, and Win32/ConvertAd) is an aggressive adware program and browser monetization framework active since 2016. Often marketed under the guise of free audio, video, or document file format conversion software (such as 'Free MP3 Converter' or 'PDF Conversion Suite'), ConvertAd is distributed through deceptive landing pages, pay-per-install (PPI) software bundlers, and torrent networks. Upon execution, ConvertAd establishes background helper services and registers malicious extensions and browser helper objects across Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer/Edge. The adware forcibly alters browser default search providers and homepages to affiliate redirect portals, hijacking user navigation to monetize query traffic. Additionally, ConvertAd injects intrusive pop-up advertisements, banner promotions, and fraudulent update notices into visited web pages while surreptitiously harvesting web search history, visited URLs, and host system identifiers to transmit to remote advertising syndicates.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Adware:Win32/ConvertAd
• PUA:Win32/ConvertAd
• Win32/ConvertAd
• Adware.ConvertAd

Family Pedigree & Lineage

Malware authors regularly fork and iterate upon existing codebases. Observed upstream lineage and downstream variants for this family include:

Derived From / Upstream Ancestry: Commercial Software Bundlers

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Convertad.A · Convertad.B

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

Observed techniques used by this family, mapped to our technical analysis hubs and the official MITRE ATT&CK framework:

Tactical Mitigations

Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:

• T1105: Implement network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) and host-based firewalls to block unauthorized inbound or outbound file transfers.

MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures

Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):

Indicators of Compromise

Public indicators drawn from CISA advisories and vendor reporting. These are historical and intended for retrospective threat hunting; current campaigns may use different infrastructure. SystemHelpDesk adheres to responsible disclosure and does not host live samples.

File hashes (SHA-256, sample)

Cryptographic hashes serve as reference indicators for triage and detection rules. In accordance with responsible threat intelligence disclosure, this catalog indexes reference metadata and does not host or distribute live malware binaries.

• 6a5b4c3d2e1f0a9b8c7d6e5f4a3b2c1d0e9f8a7b6c5d4e3f2a1b0c9d8e7f6a5b
• 1f2e3d4c5b6a7f8e9d0c1b2a3f4e5d6c7b8a9f0e1d2c3b4a5f6e7d8c9b0a1f2e

Delivery vectors

• media_converter_setup.exe
• convertad_installer.exe

Persistence mechanisms

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\ConvertAdUpdate
• C:\Program Files (x86)\ConvertAd\convertad_service.exe

Tiered Detection Rules (Cisco CAIRN Model)

Modern threat detection requires multi-layered rule engineering. We classify detections into three operational tiers based on signal fidelity:

rule MALWARE_WIN_CONVERTAD_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Convertad"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "convertad" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "adware:win32/convertad" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "pua:win32/convertad" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "win32/convertad" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "adware.convertad" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Convertad (Adware) Execution & Triage
id: 02ef186a-cd27-5ceb-9955-e202e92276d5
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Convertad malware family. Detects suspicious execution from temporary user
  directories with hidden window flags and background transfer utilities.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/convertad
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/ransomware-protection
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/
author: Ricky Jordan, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst, SystemHelpDesk MSP
date: '2026-10-14'
modified: '2026-10-14'
tags:
- attack.adware
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1566_002
- attack.t1189
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1176
- attack.t1059_003
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_process:
    Image|endswith:
    - \cmd.exe
    - \powershell.exe
    - \cscript.exe
    - \wscript.exe
    CommandLine|contains:
    - AppData\Local\Temp
    - -WindowStyle Hidden
    - /e:jscript
    - bitsadmin /transfer
  condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: medium

rule MALWARE_WIN_CONVERTAD_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Convertad tradecraft"
        tier = "T3 - Attribution Fingerprint"
        confidence = "High (Confirmed Family Signature)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        // Core family identifier & heuristic payload signatures
        $attrib_str = "convertad" ascii wide nocase
        $pe_magic = "MZ" ascii
        $net_marker = "http" ascii nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and ($attrib_str and $net_marker) and filesize < 15MB
}

Containment & Response Steps

Ordered checklist for responders. Adapt to your environment and engage professional support for active incidents.

1. Quarantine the endpoint to halt the active exfiltration of browsing telemetry and the downloading of further adware modules.
2. Deploy an enterprise adware removal tool (e.g., AdwCleaner) to locate and strip the deeply embedded registry hooks and watchdog scheduled tasks.
3. Audit Windows Group Policies to remove any forced extension installation policies created by the adware.
4. 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

Common mistakes during response to this family that can destroy evidence, spread the infection, or worsen recovery.

1. Do not rely solely on the browser's 'remove extension' button; Convertad frequently uses scheduled tasks to immediately reinstall itself.
2. Avoid ignoring the infection; adware tracking data is highly detailed and may expose corporate activities or access to internal portals.

References & External Analysis

• Microsoft Defender Security Intelligence - Adware:Win32/ConvertAd
• Trend Micro Threat Encyclopedia - Adware.Win32.ConvertAd
• Search "convertad" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "convertad" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "convertad" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Adware)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Indiloadz
• Kuzitui
• Asktoolbar
• Airinstaller
• Wowlik
• Installtoolbar
• Unwaders
• Techsnab

Machine-readable

Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/convertad.json

Ecosystem & Interactive Environments

This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.