Cloudguard

Overview

CloudGuard (classified across antivirus vendors under designations including PUA:Win32/CloudGuard and Rogue:Win32/CloudGuard) is a rogue PC optimization and security scareware program that deceives Windows users into purchasing fraudulent licenses. Distributed via pay-per-install freeware bundles and deceptive pop-up advertisements, CloudGuard performs fabricated system scans upon installation. It intentionally reports non-existent malware infections, outdated drivers, and harmless temporary files as critical security vulnerabilities. The software locks its cleanup functionality behind an expensive payment wall and establishes persistent autostart entries under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run to continually display intrusive warning banners and nag screens.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• PUA:Win32/CloudGuard
• Rogue:Win32/CloudGuard
• Program:Win32/CloudGuard
• CloudGuard Antivirus
• Win32/CloudGuard

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

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

MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures

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

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_CLOUDGUARD_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Cloudguard"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "cloudguard" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "pua:win32/cloudguard" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "rogue:win32/cloudguard" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "program:win32/cloudguard" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "cloudguard antivirus" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "win32/cloudguard" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Cloudguard (Pua) Execution & Triage
id: fb198977-84e7-52f8-8aaf-1a228750824e
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Cloudguard 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/cloudguard
- 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.pua
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1491
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1053_005
- attack.t1112
- attack.t1082
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_CLOUDGUARD_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Cloudguard 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 = "cloudguard" 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. Advise the end-user NOT to pay the requested fee; the reported system errors and malware infections are fabricated to induce panic.
2. Use the Windows Control Panel to uninstall the rogue application, but do not assume this fully cleans the system.
3. Deploy a reputable enterprise anti-malware or adware removal tool (e.g., Malwarebytes, AdwCleaner) to locate and delete the hidden registry keys and scheduled tasks left behind by the uninstaller.
4. Review browser configurations to ensure no rogue extensions or homepage hijackers were installed alongside the scareware.

What to Avoid

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

1. Do not input any credit card or personal information into the software's payment portal.
2. Avoid ignoring the incident; if the user installed this, they may have unknowingly installed more severe malware from the same bundled package.

References & External Analysis

• Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - PUA:Win32/CloudGuard
• Malwarebytes Labs - Rogue.CloudGuard Analysis
• MITRE ATT&CK - Defacement: Displaying Fake Security Alerts (T1491)
• Search "cloudguard" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "cloudguard" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "cloudguard" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Pua)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Gamemodding
• Onesystemcare
• Outbrowse
• Domaiq
• Dnscleaner
• Softonic
• Iobit
• Pupstudio

Machine-readable

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