What ClickFix looks like
A fake verification (“Verify you are human”) or an error message appears on a website, together with instructions on how to fix the problem. Meanwhile the page silently copies a command to your clipboard. The instructions walk you through opening the Run dialog (Windows key + R), pasting it and confirming.
You then run the command yourself, so it bypasses many of the protections that watch files downloaded from the internet.
How not to fall for it
- No legitimate site needs you to paste a command into the Run dialog or PowerShell.
- If a website asks you to do something like that, close it.
- Never run a command you do not understand, even when it looks like a “fix”.
- If you have already done it, disconnect the computer from the network and have it checked with an antivirus.
What BirdGuard does about it
BirdGuard watches for suspicious commands pasted into the Run dialog or the Explorer address bar and alerts you to those matching attack patterns. It is a complement, not a replacement for caution and an antivirus.