{
  "family": "deepscan",
  "sample_count": 6,
  "category": "advanced_threat",
  "description": "Rogue:Win32/Deepscan (often operating under names like 'DeepScan Antivirus' or 'Security DeepScan') is a classic example of **Scareware** or a **Rogue Antivirus** program. Its primary objective is financial extortion. It infects a system, displays highly realistic but entirely fabricated security alerts claiming the computer is overrun with non-existent malware, and then demands the user pay for a 'premium' license to clean the machine.<br><br><b>Understanding the Deepscan Threat</b><br>To an end-user, Deepscan is terrifying. It frequently disables the Windows Task Manager, hides desktop icons, and constantly bombards the screen with flashing red warning messages mimicking the Windows Security Center. To an enterprise, it represents a severe productivity loss, a high risk of user-initiated credit card fraud, and a failure in endpoint application control.<br><br><b>Execution and Extortion Mechanics</b><br>Deepscan is typically distributed via malvertising (fake 'Your PC is Infected' pop-ups on streaming sites) or bundled with deceptive software (`T1189`). Upon execution (`T1204.002`), it heavily modifies the Windows Registry. Crucially, it uses Image File Execution Options (IFEO) (`T1546.012`) to intercept the launch of legitimate diagnostic tools (like `taskmgr.exe`, `regedit.exe`, and actual AV software) and instead launches its own warning screens. It runs a fake 'deep scan' animation that invariably finds dozens of 'critical threats'. When the panicked user clicks 'Fix All', they are directed to a payment portal (`T1592`). The software holds the system's usability hostage until the ransom is paid.<br><br><b>Indicators of Compromise & Impact</b><br>The impact is a completely unusable endpoint and potential financial theft. IoCs are glaringly obvious to the user: persistent, non-dismissible windows demanding payment for AV software they never installed. EDR logs will show the creation of the IFEO registry keys hijacking standard Windows utilities. The executable itself is often a brightly colored, unsigned file located in `%AppData%` or `%ProgramData%`.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "expert-seo",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is Deepscan and what threat category does it belong to?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Deepscan is classified as a Advanced Threat. Documented across security telemetry, it is engineered to execute unauthorized operations, establish persistent footholds on target endpoints, and facilitate malicious campaigns targeting enterprise and individual environments."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Deepscan establish persistence and evade defensive controls?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Deepscan typically establishes persistence through registry run keys, scheduled tasks, or service installations, while evading signature-based antivirus solutions through code obfuscation, memory injection, or anti-analysis sandbox checks."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What are the essential incident response steps for mitigating a Deepscan compromise?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Security teams responding to Deepscan should immediately isolate affected endpoints from the network, perform memory triage to capture volatile forensic artifacts, audit registry and startup persistence mechanisms, revoke exposed user credentials, and restore systems from verified, clean backups."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What lateral movement and credential access tactics does Deepscan leverage in enterprise intrusions?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Deepscan frequently utilizes privileged account harvesting techniques such as LSASS memory dumping, Kerberoasting, and token impersonation to escalate privileges. Once administrative credentials are acquired, it pivots across the victim network utilizing living-off-the-land binaries (LOLBins) such as WMI, PowerShell remoting, and PsExec, or abuses remote desktop protocols (RDP) to reach critical internal repositories and domain controllers."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does Deepscan maintain covert communications and evade perimeter network monitoring?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Deepscan often relies on multi-stage command and control (C2) architectures utilizing encrypted protocols over standard web ports (HTTPS/443 or DNS tunneling) to blend in with legitimate enterprise network traffic. Many variants incorporate proxy networks, domain fronting, or cloud services (such as Microsoft Graph API, Google Drive, or Telegram) to masquerade C2 channels, bypassing traditional signature-based egress filtering."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq_count": 5,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1204.002",
    "T1491.001",
    "T1189",
    "T1546.012"
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1189",
      "name": "Drive-by Compromise (Fake AV pop-ups)",
      "tactic": "Initial Access"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1546.012",
      "name": "Event Triggered Execution: Image File Execution Options Injection (Disabling Task Manager)",
      "tactic": "Privilege Escalation"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1491.001",
      "name": "Defacement: Internal Defacement (Fake security alerts)",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1204.002",
      "name": "User Execution: Malicious File",
      "tactic": "Execution"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Do not allow the user to enter their credit card information; the alerts are fake, and the 'license' does nothing.",
    "Boot the infected system into Windows Safe Mode; this bypasses the Rogue AV's autostart mechanisms and allows access to diagnostic tools.",
    "Use an enterprise anti-malware tool (like Malwarebytes) in Safe Mode to locate and remove the executable and the hijacked IFEO registry keys.",
    "If the user submitted payment information, advise them to immediately contact their bank to cancel the card and report fraud."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Avoid paying the ransom; it funds criminal operations and does not guarantee the malware will actually remove itself.",
    "Do not assume the machine actually has the secondary viruses Deepscan is reporting; the scan results are hardcoded strings."
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ],
  "attack_stage": [
    "execution",
    "persistence"
  ],
  "ecosystem": [
    "windows_pe"
  ],
  "is_emerging": false,
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows Server 2022",
    "Windows Server 2019"
  ]
}