Hoax

Overview

Hoax (cataloged across security vendors and threat intelligence databases under detections including Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Hoax, Ransom:Win32/Hoax, and Scareware.Hoax) is a landmark family of deceptive scareware, rogue security software, and fake ransomware active since 2008. Unlike crypto-ransomware that performs cryptographic file encryption, Hoax relies on social engineering and deceptive system locking. Upon execution, the malware displays fabricated system warnings claiming the host has been seized by law enforcement agencies (such as the FBI, Interpol, or Department of Justice) or contaminated with hundreds of critical viruses. The trojan locks down the Windows desktop, blocks access to Task Manager (taskmgr.exe), the Registry Editor (regedit.exe), and the Command Prompt (cmd.exe), and demands payment via prepaid money cards (such as Ukash, Paysafecard, or Moneypak) to unlock the machine.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Hoax
• Ransom:Win32/Hoax
• Scareware.Hoax
• Win32/Hoax
• FakeAV.Hoax

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: Rogue Fakeav / Winlocker Ecosystem

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Hoax.Fbi · Hoax.Ukash · Hoax.Gen

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:

• T1059.003: Restrict execution of Windows Command Shell (cmd.exe) and block unauthorized batch scripts.

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.

• aa11bb22cc33dd44ee55ff6677889900aabbccddeeff11223344556677889900
• bb22cc33dd44ee55ff6677889900aabbccddeeff11223344556677889900aabb

Delivery vectors

• fbi_fine_notice_player.exe
• codec_vlc_security_patch.exe

Persistence mechanisms

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\HoaxLock

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_HOAX_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Hoax"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "hoax" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "trojan-ransom.win32.hoax" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "ransom:win32/hoax" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "scareware.hoax" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "win32/hoax" ascii wide nocase
        $s6 = "fakeav.hoax" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Hoax (Ransomware) Execution & Triage
id: 80c87b50-bda6-57e3-8513-ba07fefe0658
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Hoax malware family. Detects volume shadow copy deletion, boot status tampering,
  and recovery inhibition characteristic of modern ransomware operations.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/hoax
- 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.ransomware
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1486
- attack.t1490
- attack.t1562_001
- attack.t1547_001
- attack.t1082
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_process:
    Image|endswith:
    - \vssadmin.exe
    - \wmic.exe
    - \wbadmin.exe
    - \bcdedit.exe
    CommandLine|contains:
    - delete shadows
    - shadowcopy delete
    - resize shadowstorage
    - recoveryenabled no
    - ignoreallfailures
  condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: critical

rule MALWARE_WIN_HOAX_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Hoax 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 = "hoax" 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 prevent the Hoax software from communicating with its affiliate payment servers.
2. Boot the infected machine into Safe Mode; this often bypasses the persistence mechanisms of trivial scareware, allowing for manual removal.
3. Audit the Windows Registry and remove any policies designed to restrict user actions (e.g., restoring access to the Task Manager).
4. If the user provided credit card information to the fake software, advise them to contact their bank immediately to dispute the fraudulent charges.

What to Avoid

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

1. Do not pay the requested fee; the software is fraudulent and the 'premium' version provides no actual security.
2. Avoid assuming the machine is clean just because the pop-ups stopped; the underlying adware framework must be fully uninstalled.

References & External Analysis

• Microsoft Defender Security Intelligence - Ransom:Win32/Hoax
• Kaspersky Securelist - The Anatomy of Police Winlockers
• Search "hoax" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
• Search "hoax" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
• Search "hoax" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Ransomware)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Psexec
• Genericrxdm
• Blamon
• Redgirl
• Haed
• Jaiks
• Blueeagle
• Niwaa8Lfbrj

Machine-readable

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