Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 016a8ed07e87aa5d…

MALICIOUS

PDF

6.7 KB
MD5: 171db7d43c63d2b3ebf6fb94639dd5b9 SHA-1: 5f04a5359d01f66a0cf1a6826963749250118062 SHA-256: 016a8ed07e87aa5d0749ee46d56b77722cc9a032d220f3d4be165f8b7d269659
226 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.001 PowerShell T1204.002 Malicious File T1071.001 Web Protocols

This PDF file contains embedded JavaScript that exploits CVE-2014-0496 using app.addToolButton/removeToolButton. The script is designed to download a second-stage payload from the URL http://epestden.hopto.org/sales/amateur-ministry-nothing.txt?e=9. The ML classifier strongly indicates maliciousness, and the combination of XFA form, JavaScript exploit, and shellcode download URL points to a downloader or initial access stage.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 1.0000

Heuristics 9

  • app.addToolButton/removeToolButton — CVE-2014-0496 critical CVE exact CVE_2014_0496
    PDF JavaScript combines app.addToolButton() and app.removeToolButton() with heap-spray shellcode markers — the public Adobe Reader/Acrobat ToolButton use-after-free exploit shape for CVE-2014-0496. (identified after JavaScript deobfuscation)
  • PDF JavaScript exploit cluster critical PDF_JS_EXPLOIT_CLUSTER
    PDF combines an executable JavaScript/action surface with exploit staging indicators such as eval/unescape/fromCharCode, XFA script content, or a related CVE pattern. Benign form JavaScript remains low-severity, but this correlated cluster is high-confidence malicious behavior.
  • PDF JavaScript shellcode contains an embedded download URL high PDF_JS_SHELLCODE_DOWNLOAD_URL
    Decoded PDF JavaScript shellcode contains a hardcoded http(s) URL stored as little-endian %uXXXX Unicode escapes. Reader exploit shellcode embeds the second-stage fetch URL this way and pulls it down with a urlmon/URLDownloadToFile-style download-and-execute (commodity downloader behaviour rather than a specific Acrobat CVE).
  • JavaScript action low PDF_JAVASCRIPT
    PDF contains a /JavaScript action. Generic JavaScript is common in benign forms; specific dangerous APIs are scored by separate rules.
  • Embedded JS stream low PDF_JS
    PDF references a /JS stream. Generic JavaScript is common in benign forms; specific dangerous APIs are scored by separate rules.
  • XFA form low PDF_XFA
    PDF uses XML Forms Architecture — can contain script logic
  • AcroForm button with action trigger low PDF_ACROFORM_BUTTON
    PDF contains a /Btn form field together with a SubmitForm/URI/Launch/JS trigger — this is the building block of fake 'Download' or 'Open' button overlays used in PDF phishing lures
  • Suspicious extracted artifact info EXTRACTED_FILE_STATIC_TRIAGE
    One or more files extracted from inside this sample matched static suspicious-content checks such as script obfuscation, encoded payload blobs, packed data, or execution/download terms.
  • Embedded URL info EMBEDDED_URL
    One or more URLs were extracted from the document. The URL itself is not a detection — see the per-URL labels for which channel (macro, JS, link annotation, document body, ...) reached each URL.
    URL http://ns.adobe.com/xdp/
    • http://www.xfa.org/schema/xci/2.8/
    • http://www.xfa.org/schema/xfa-template/2.5/
    • http://epestden.hopto.org/sales/amateur-ministry-nothing.txt?e=9

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
javascript_obj0003_000.js
e3ce17f4a5f4e5cf888d34dfab7e525bdda56ad05ba836198ba4c9b988efecdd		 pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 3 at offset 0x409 15440 bytes
base26_stage_000.js
f59b17f87b956b36aa48c97f8e69dc901bc82b7e12686332dcd62e8368c5d022		 deobfuscated-js base26-decoded JavaScript (decompressed) at offset 0x60D 5877 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 44 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).

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