{
  "family": "autoitscript",
  "sample_count": 5,
  "category": "trojan",
  "description": "Autoitscript (classified in antivirus detection telemetry under designations including Trojan:Win32/Autoitscript, Trojan.Win32.Autoitscript, and Win32/Autoitscript) is a multi-stage trojan engineered to disguise itself as legitimate software, execute unauthorized commands, and coordinate with external command-and-control infrastructure. Disseminated across enterprise networks and consumer workstations via social engineering, phishing attachments, malicious drive-by downloads, or weaponized software cracks, Autoitscript executes an initial reconnaissance phase upon system ingress. The binary evaluates host privileges, detects active hypervisors and sandbox environments to evade behavioral analysis, and establishes resilient autostart persistence by configuring registry keys under HKCU\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run or registering background Windows services. Operational mechanics characteristic of this family include deceptive executable masquerading, registry run key autostart, system telemetry gathering, and remote C2 beaconing. Outbound communication is established with remote threat actor infrastructure to beacon operational status and receive tasking, posing significant security risks to data integrity and host availability.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk Threat Intelligence Team.",
  "aliases": [
    "Trojan:Win32/Autoitscript",
    "Trojan.Win32.Autoitscript",
    "Win32/Autoitscript"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is Trojan:Win32/Autoitscript?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Autoitscript is a trojan threat designed to infiltrate Windows systems and execute unauthorized operations without user consent."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Autoitscript compromise target systems?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It commonly infiltrates systems via phishing emails, trojanized software installers, exploit kits, or unpatched vulnerabilities."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What persistence mechanisms does Autoitscript utilize?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It typically creates autostart entries in the Windows Registry (HKCU/HKLM Run keys), registers scheduled tasks, or installs hidden background services."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What risks does Autoitscript pose to an enterprise?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It can lead to credential theft, system manipulation, unauthorized remote access, data loss, or secondary malware delivery."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How can administrators detect and eliminate Autoitscript?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Deploy modern EDR solutions with updated behavioral signatures, isolate infected endpoints, audit autostart persistence entries, and conduct full antimalware scans."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq_count": 5,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1059.003",
    "T1027",
    "T1547.001",
    "T1071.001",
    "T1105"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-10-16",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1055.012",
      "name": "Process Injection: Process Hollowing",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1027",
      "name": "Obfuscated Files or Information (AutoIt compilation/encryption)",
      "tactic": "Defense Evasion"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1129",
      "name": "Shared Modules (Direct API calls via DllCall)",
      "tactic": "Execution"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1059.005",
      "name": "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic (AutoIt similarity)",
      "tactic": "Execution"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Isolate the endpoint to prevent the injected secondary payload (which the AutoIt script dropped) from communicating with its C2 server.",
    "Use advanced memory forensics tools (like Volatility) to dump the memory of the suspicious, hollowed processes to extract the final, unencrypted payload.",
    "Decompile the original AutoIt executable in a sandboxed environment to extract the hardcoded C2 domains, encryption keys, or dropped files.",
    "Hunt for similar AutoIt-compiled executables across the network using EDR queries targeting unknown binaries with AutoIt-specific metadata in the PE headers."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not rely solely on static analysis of the dropped `.exe`, as you will only be analyzing the legitimate AutoIt interpreter, not the malicious payload.",
    "Avoid allowing users to run unsigned executables from temporary directories, as this is a primary execution path for AutoIt wrappers."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ],
  "attack_stage": [
    "execution",
    "persistence"
  ],
  "ecosystem": [
    "windows_pe"
  ],
  "is_emerging": false,
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - Trojan:Win32/Autoitscript",
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=Trojan:Win32/Autoitscript"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kaspersky Threat Intelligence - Trojan.Win32.Autoitscript",
      "url": "https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/threat/"
    },
    {
      "name": "MITRE ATT&CK - Enterprise Techniques",
      "url": "https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059.003/"
    }
  ],
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows 7"
  ]
}