Wronginf

Overview

Wronginf (cataloged under Microsoft Defender and vendor signatures as Rogue:Win32/Wronginf, Trojan:Win32/Wronginf, and Win32:WrongInf) is an aggressive scareware and rogue security application family active since 2011. Wronginf specializes in manipulating Windows setup configuration scripts (.INF files) and system installer routines to bypass standard security alerts and execute silently. Distributed primarily through deceptive advertising networks, fake online virus scanning portals, and bundled freeware wrappers, Wronginf immediately presents the victim with full-screen, unclosable alert banners claiming the workstation is critically infected with hundreds of nonexistent viruses and trojans. To prevent remediation, Wronginf alters system registry policies to disable essential administrative tools—terminating Windows Task Manager (DisableTaskMgr), the Registry Editor (DisableRegistryTools), and Command Prompt. It blocks access to web browsers and legitimate security software while displaying high-pressure countdown timers coercing the victim into purchasing a fraudulent license key.

Known aliases

Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:

• Rogue:Win32/Wronginf
• Trojan:Win32/Wronginf
• Win32:WrongInf
• Rogue.Wronginf

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: Classic Windows Scareware Families

Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Wronginf.A · Win32.Wronginf.Gen

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):

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.

• 0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d
• 1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e

Delivery vectors

• Drive-by downloads from malvertising and fake online virus scanner sites
• Weaponized .INF setup scripts bundled inside cracked software

Persistence mechanisms

• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\Wronginf
• HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\DisableTaskMgr

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_WRONGINF_T1_ARTIFACT {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Wronginf"
        tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
        confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
        author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
        date = "2026-10-14"
    strings:
        $s1 = "wronginf" ascii wide nocase
        $s2 = "rogue:win32/wronginf" ascii wide nocase
        $s3 = "trojan:win32/wronginf" ascii wide nocase
        $s4 = "win32:wronginf" ascii wide nocase
        $s5 = "rogue.wronginf" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}

title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Wronginf (Rogue Antivirus) Execution & Triage
id: b725a782-009e-5609-af40-daf042a48de8
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
  with the Wronginf 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/wronginf
- 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.rogue-antivirus
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1491_001
- attack.t1189
- attack.t1562_001
- attack.t1204_002
- attack.t1547_001
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_WRONGINF_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
    meta:
        description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Wronginf 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 = "wronginf" 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. Reboot the infected machine into Windows Safe Mode to suppress the rogue autostart screen lock and alert routines.
2. Run a full offline scan using specialized antimalware tools (e.g., Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender Offline) to purge rogue executables.
3. Restore administrative access by resetting the DisableTaskMgr and DisableRegistryTools registry policy keys to 0.
4. Advise victims who entered credit card details to contact their banking provider immediately to cancel compromised cards.

What to Avoid

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

1. Do not enter credit card or payment details into the fake software, as the alerts are completely fabricated.
2. Avoid assuming the system is secure once alerts stop, as scareware droppers frequently leave secondary backdoors in place.

References & External Analysis

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Threats (Category: Rogue Antivirus)

Explore other documented threats in the same operational category:

• Hpdefender

Machine-readable

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