Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 102d5c081083b950…

MALICIOUS

PDF

806.8 KB Created: 2008-10-06 18:23:19 Authoring application: Microsoft® Office Word 2007
MD5: bae7f6db1f864edec08bc7051a61321b SHA-1: 444c042ef3919b637f6b1c18d5c9cdcd02dc8c9d SHA-256: 102d5c081083b950c0c49c4608101a6ef289c8e27c67f7de0df27893893a8950
598 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution T1059.007 JavaScript T1566.001 Spearphishing Attachment

This PDF file contains embedded JavaScript that utilizes the `exportDataObject` function to launch an embedded executable disguised as a PDF file named 'Access-Through-Access.pdf'. The embedded executable is then executed via `cmd.exe` using a launch action, exploiting CVE-2010-1240 and related vulnerabilities. The primary goal appears to be the execution of a malicious payload.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9946

Heuristics 15

  • Adobe Reader Launch action command execution critical CVE exact CVE_2010_1240
    PDF uses the Adobe Reader/Acrobat Launch action pattern associated with CVE-2010-1240: cmd.exe is invoked with attacker-controlled parameters, paired with an embedded/exported payload.
  • TrueType bitmap font + active content — CVE-2023-26369 related high CVE related PDF_CVE_2023_26369_RELATED
    PDF embeds a TrueType font with bitmap tables (EBDT/sbix/CBDT) alongside exploit delivery indicators — CVE-2023-26369 exploits the sfac_GetSbitBitmap function in Adobe's libCoolType for arbitrary code execution. This CVE was actively exploited in the wild, but this rule does not validate the malformed EBLC/EBDT primitive.
  • Launch action critical PDF_LAUNCH
    PDF contains a /Launch action whose target is an executable, URL, or UNC path — can start an external application
  • Embedded Windows executable payload in PDF stream critical PDF_EMBEDDED_PE_PAYLOAD
    PDF stream bytes contain an embedded Windows executable with a verified PE header. Exploit chains often hide droppers inside ordinary streams rather than standard /EmbeddedFile attachments.
  • /Launch action target: cmd.exe critical PDF_LAUNCH_COMMAND
    PDF /Launch action specifies an executable target with parameters '/Q /C (if exist "%HOMEPATH%\\My Documents\\Access-Through-Access.pdf" (cd "%HOMEPATH%\\My Documents"' — references a known-dangerous executable (cmd, PowerShell, etc.).
  • Embedded attachment masquerades: declared document, content is windows-executable critical PDF_EMBEDDED_FILESPEC_CONTENT_MISMATCH
    An /EmbeddedFile attachment's declared filename extension or /Subtype MIME type contradicts the magic bytes of its decompressed content. The attachment is declared as a benign document or image but the bytes are an executable or executable-bearing archive. This is a deliberate deception used to hide droppers in PDF attachments and is a generic indicator of embed-and-drop weaponisation, independent of any specific CVE.
  • 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.
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586
  • /Launch action paired with attachment-dropping JS API high PDF_LAUNCH_PLUS_DROPPER_JS
    PDF combines a /Launch action with a JavaScript API call that writes or opens an attached/external resource — the canonical shape of the CVE-2010-1240 /Launch + exportDataObject family. Benign PDFs do not pair these surfaces; the combination indicates a drop-and-execute chain regardless of the specific JS API knobs or /Launch target.
  • Clickable PDF combines external action with parser-evasion structure high PDF_ACTION_PARSER_EVASION
    PDF has an external clickable URI together with object graph or xref structures that make parsers disagree, such as divergent duplicate objects, parser divergence, or xref offset mismatch. That combination is stronger than a plain link: the document is both an outward-action carrier and a parser-confusion/evasion sample.
  • 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.
  • Embedded file low PDF_EMBEDDED
    PDF embeds a file attachment — could carry an executable or another weaponised document as a nested payload
  • External URI info PDF_URI
    PDF contains an external URL action
  • 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://www.wiretrip.net/rfp/txt/rfp9901.txt
    • http://www.webapptest.org/ms-access-sql-injection-cheat-sheet-EN.html
    • http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-014.mspx
    • http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/950627.mspx
    • http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2005/Apr/0001.html
    • http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2007/Nov/0235.html
    • http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2008/Feb/0314.html
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925330
    • http://blogs.msdn.com/access/archive/2005/10/13/480870.aspx
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/239104
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/239482
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294698
    • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA012301901033.aspx
    • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA101674291033.aspx
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/172733
    • http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/239114
    • http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q178070
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q147687/
    • http://support.microsoft.com/?id=248738
    • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7554F536-8C28-4598-9B72-EF94E038C891&displaylang=en
    • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/CH100621381033.aspx
    • http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/secmvp/sv0907.mspx
    • http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7554F536-8C28-4598-9B72-
    • http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
Access-Through-Access.pdf
cfa4f56807405fd36e406688feb970a0d0d4854456ba2da72e4a33a27b01d9ae
pdf-embedded-file PDF EmbeddedFile object 1968 at offset 0x8C73F 454656 bytes
javascript_obj1969_000.js
4433ed55cf0fb12b0aebaa98afbacf68090cb519ff0342bb56907504f6524dc5
pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 1969 at offset 0xC9515 70 bytes