Phishing Campaign Abuses Windows Search URI Handlers to Deliver AsyncRAT and Remcos
Trellix reported a phishing campaign that abuses the Windows search-ms and search URI protocol handlers to push victims from emails, HTML attachments, PDFs, or compromised websites into Windows Explorer views populated with attacker-controlled remote files. The activity relies on JavaScript or script-based redirects to remote WebDAV searches, where malicious .lnk files are presented as familiar local search results, lowering suspicion and increasing the likelihood of execution.
Researchers observed multiple delivery and execution chains involving HTML, PowerShell, ISO, ZIP, DLL, VBS, and EXE files, with payloads ultimately deploying AsyncRAT and Remcos RAT. The campaign used SSL-encrypted traffic, rapidly rotated infrastructure and files, and disguised artifacts with deceptive filenames and icons; in some cases, execution was triggered through regsvr32.exe or PowerShell. Trellix said the technique can provide initial access from a simple URL visit and recommended mitigating the threat by disabling the vulnerable URI handlers through registry removal.
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Trellix documents phishing campaign abusing Windows search URI handlers
Trellix reported a phishing campaign that abuses the Windows "search-ms" and "search" URI protocol handlers to redirect victims into Windows Explorer views of attacker-controlled remote files. The report says the technique delivered payload chains leading to AsyncRAT and Remcos RAT and recommended disabling the handlers via registry deletion as a mitigation.
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