Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 53b4b443bbdfa798…

MALICIOUS

PDF

2.3 KB
MD5: 7bcdcc456dc96d41972b9dd799ea179d SHA-1: 97fffb86f708fb9a8b2fed2a43407e4ebd2f5245 SHA-256: 53b4b443bbdfa798713d358d1d1192823f616d134c012f8bd62acd4b7c1667ce
286 Risk Score

Malware Insights

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

This PDF file contains embedded JavaScript that utilizes eval() and unescape() functions, indicative of obfuscation. The critical CVE-2009-4324 heuristic indicates the exploitation of a known PDF vulnerability. The embedded JavaScript, further confirmed by ClamAV detections on extracted artifacts, is designed to execute malicious code, likely downloading and running a second-stage payload. The presence of multiple JavaScript streams and the specific exploit technique point towards a malicious PDF designed for initial compromise.

Heuristics 9

  • media.newPlayer — CVE-2009-4324 critical CVE exact CVE_2009_4324
    PDF JavaScript calls media.newPlayer — CVE-2009-4324 is a use-after-free in Adobe Reader's multimedia plugin triggered by media.newPlayer(). Actively exploited as a zero-day in December 2009. (identified after JavaScript deobfuscation)
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-36082 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-36082
  • ClamAV detection on extracted artifact critical EXTRACTED_FILE_CLAMAV
    ClamAV flagged at least one file extracted from inside this sample. Even when the wrapping document carries no AV detection of its own, a hit on the carved artifact is a strong indicator the sample is a delivery vehicle.
  • eval() call high PDF_EVAL
    eval() found — commonly used for obfuscated exploit execution (matched inside decoded stream)
  • unescape() call high PDF_UNESCAPE
    unescape() found — often used to decode shellcode in PDF JS exploits (matched inside decoded stream)
  • 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.
  • String.fromCharCode low PDF_FROMCHARCODE
    String.fromCharCode found — used to construct payload strings dynamically. Common in benign JavaScript libraries for codepoint manipulation, so this alone is informational; weaponised use is also caught by the dedicated fromCharCode-stage and exploit-shape rules. (matched inside decoded stream)
  • 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.

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
javascript_obj111611_000.js
772da696bdb365f3f1eb4ea6af881baad391be62f3591b19f2f9827fcc4c9b53
pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 111611 at offset 0x825 479 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 3 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).
legacy_pdfkit_stage_000.js
642b21dc7b8f4567314b42cf0e73abef3cf981ecc1ed2ecbfe4194425a5843b7
deobfuscated-js repeated-marker hex decoded JavaScript at offset 0x189 2439 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: Js.Exploit.Shellcode-18
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 2 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).