Emotet — Office (OOXML) / .XLSM malware analysis

Static analysis result for SHA-256 48154bc734f67a19…

MALICIOUS

Office (OOXML) / .XLSM

74.1 KB Created: 2015-06-05 18:19:34 UTC Authoring application: Microsoft Excel 16.0300 First seen: 2022-03-15
MD5: c3387164da681b8d3033401c65d41c5a SHA-1: 24d13efa02c90de3f45bc6670f166ea995de5f43 SHA-256: 48154bc734f67a19e7676e098cfbf04d58e0853c070d66d671fd5486e833d91e
250 Risk Score

Malware Insights

Emotet · confidence 95%

MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.005 Service Execution: Visual Basic T1204.002 Malicious File: User Execution: Malicious File T1059.001 Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer

This XLSM file contains Excel 4.0 macros, identified by the 'OOXML_XLM_MACROSHEET' and 'OOXML_XLM_DANGEROUS_FN' heuristics. The macros are designed to download and execute a payload using the 'FORMULA' API, which is a critical indicator of malicious intent. The ClamAV detection as 'Xls.Downloader.Emotet03220-9941786-0' strongly suggests the Emotet family. The script reconstructs multiple URLs, including 'https://thesparklezbox.com/wp-admin/kFkWN/', which are likely used for payload delivery. Additionally, the script attempts to execute 'regsvr32.exe' with 'rds.ocx', indicating a potential secondary stage or exploit.

Heuristics 6

  • Excel 4.0 macro sheet (3 sheet(s)) critical OOXML_XLM_MACROSHEET
    Spreadsheet contains an Excel 4.0 (XLM) macro sheet — XLM was a major Office malware vector during 2020-2022 and evaded many VBA-focused controls before Microsoft tightened XLM defaults. Even legitimate XLM use is rare in modern workbooks.
  • Excel 4.0 Auto_Open defined name critical OOXML_XLM_AUTOOPEN_DEFINEDNAME
    Workbook defines _xlnm.Auto_Open or _xlnm.Auto_Close while containing an XLM macro sheet. This is the OOXML/XLSB auto-execution shape for Excel 4.0 macros.
  • Dangerous XLM formula APIs: FORMULA critical OOXML_XLM_DANGEROUS_FN
    Excel 4.0 macro sheet uses formula APIs that call directly into Win32 (=CALL/=EXEC/=REGISTER/=FORMULA). These are the primitives used to download payloads, write files, and start processes from an XLM macro without invoking VBA.
  • ClamAV: Xls.Downloader.Emotet03220-9941786-0 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Xls.Downloader.Emotet03220-9941786-0
  • Hidden worksheet (hidden) low OOXML_HIDDEN_SHEET
    Excel workbook contains 5 hidden sheet(s) — hidden sheets are commonly used to conceal macro code, staging data, or intermediate payload construction
  • 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://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main
    • http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/excel/2006/main
    • http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/relationships
    • http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006
    • http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/spreadsheetml/2009/9/ac
    • http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/spreadsheetml/2014/revision
    • http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/spreadsheetml/2015/revision2
    • http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/spreadsheetml/2016/revision3
    • http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/spreadsheetml/2016/revision6

Extracted artifacts 3

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
xlm_sheet_00.xml
d89b7d38fd8a9e6e956d206d38aaf287302fa490f0a6258530e7eb1289212864		 xlm-macrosheet OOXML XLM macro sheet: xl/macrosheets/intlsheet1.xml 3854 bytes
xlm_sheet_01.xml
66bfcd6f779a43381c9703ce8fb35f6a1e698ff56c3952fb486a051b7507578c		 xlm-macrosheet OOXML XLM macro sheet: xl/macrosheets/sheet1.xml 1275 bytes
xlm_sheet_02.xml
c4c4b38e98fc03e63dbcaf635f5d396461ebdc6c1bd91f6bea98202893777435		 xlm-macrosheet OOXML XLM macro sheet: xl/macrosheets/sheet2.xml 1213 bytes

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