{
  "family": "autohk",
  "sample_count": 120,
  "category": "packer",
  "description": "The \"AutoHK\" malware family refers to a broad category of malicious programs that utilize AutoHotkey (AHK), a legitimate and open-source scripting language designed for keyboard shortcuts and Windows automation. Attackers frequently abuse AutoHotkey to create, bundle, and execute malicious scripts while attempting to evade detection by security software. By packaging malicious AHK scripts with the AutoHotkey interpreter into a single executable file, attackers can obfuscate their code and bypass simple signature-based antivirus detection. These scripts are often used for keylogging, taking screenshots, and data exfiltration.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk team.",
  "aliases": [],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Why is AutoHotkey flagged as malware?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Because AutoHotkey is widely used by attackers to bundle and execute malicious scripts, security tools sometimes flag harmless AutoHotkey scripts as \"AutoHK\" malware as a false positive."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do attackers abuse AutoHotkey?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Attackers compile malicious scripts into a single executable file alongside the legitimate AutoHotkey interpreter, masking the malware as a standard application to evade static analysis."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq_count": 2,
  "mitre_attack": [],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-06-09",
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic"
  ],
  "motivation": "Opportunistic",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ]
}