Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 54f45cf2492457c6…

MALICIOUS

PDF

36.2 KB Created: 2018-06-11 09:02:08 -04:00 Authoring application: wkhtmltopdf 0.12.4 (via Qt 4.8.7) First seen: 2020-09-04
MD5: cb7ed5093eb9068ae22460a280d28390 SHA-1: 0deda79c1b63e6c4380f6480fdba3f29fa35aba2 SHA-256: 54f45cf2492457c6ddf49480a391b5063acb385c286fc16a369ca8ac5b980c25
130 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.001 PowerShell

The PDF file contains embedded URLs and a heuristic firing for a visual download button, suggesting a social engineering lure. The ML classifier also flagged the PDF as malicious. The primary malicious URL identified is http://uncpbisdegree.com/download3.php?q=testing-chants-for-students.pdf, which is likely used to deliver a secondary payload. No scripts were extracted, limiting the ability to determine the exact execution flow.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9027

Heuristics 4

  • Fake 'free download' SEO-poisoning PDF critical PDF_SEO_FAKE_DOWNLOAD
    The ML classifier flagged this PDF AND it carries a visual download/call-to-action lure AND an off-domain server-side download-gateway link whose query string names a document payload. This three-signal conjunction is the fake-document / 'free PDF download' SEO-poisoning delivery pattern: the page is padded with benign decoy links to dilute classifier scores while funnelling the victim through the gateway to malware/scareware. Acting only on the conjunction keeps benign download-bearing PDFs from being misflagged.
  • PDF carries a PHP-gateway SEO-spam PDF link farm medium PDF_SEO_PHP_GATEWAY_LINK_FARM
    PDF contains four or more clickable links whose target is a `.php` gateway with a multi-word search-PHRASE document slug embedded after it (e.g. 'index.php?.../binary+options+trading+nz.pdf' or 'pdf.php/cialis-dosage-side-effects.pdf'). Legitimate PHP-served documents use a filename or numeric id, not a search-query phrase, so this is the generated SEO link-farm shape — pharma / binary-options / 'free download' spam that ranks for queries and routes users into payload/redirect chains. The PDF itself carries no exploit — the risk is the linked destinations.
  • Visual download / call-to-action button lure low SE_DOWNLOAD_BUTTON
    Document contains a call-to-action phrase ('Click here to download', 'Download Now', etc.) — low-signal unless other findings point to a malicious workflow
  • 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://uncpbisdegree.com/download3.php?q=testing-chants-for-students.pdf In PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/download4.php?q=testing-chants-for-students.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://east.laramie1.org/In PDF document text
    • http://www.windsorct.org/In PDF document text
    • https://grapeseedus.com/In PDF document text
    • http://www.onestopenglish.com/methodology/methodology/teaching-materials/teaching-materials-using-literature-in-the-efl/-esl-classroom/146508.articleIn PDF document text
    • http://www.discovercalgary.com/Calgary/Events/AllEvents/In PDF document text
    • http://www.translationjournal.net/journal/63learning.htmIn PDF document text
    • http://www.ayurvedacollege.com/articles/students/SoundofHealingIn PDF document text
    • http://www.boxoftricks.net/In PDF document text
    • http://www.firstnationstories.com/glcp/inst_curr-web/instruct.htmIn PDF document text
    • http://www.teachforever.com/2010/04/teachers-share-their-best-brain-breaks.htmlIn PDF document text
    • https://www.readinga-z.com/curriculum-correlations/commoncore/In PDF document text
    • https://www.readinga-z.com/teacher-corner/In PDF document text
    • https://www.cappex.com/colleges/University-of-North-Texas/reviewsIn PDF document text
    • https://www.cappex.com/colleges/states/In PDF document text
    • https://www.cappex.com/colleges/states/TexasIn PDF document text
    • https://www.cappex.com/colleges/University-of-North-Texas/In PDF document text
    • http://www.suggestibility.org/In PDF document text
    • http://www.academicroom.com/topics/importance-of-educationIn PDF document text
    • http://theshadowlands.net/places/california2.htmIn PDF document text
    • http://www.songsforteaching.com/chantsraps.htmIn PDF document text
    • http://www.songsforteaching.com/studytesttakingskills/testtakingpreparationchant.htmIn PDF document text
    • http://riverside-resort.net/1/x-paper-n3-electrical-engineering-memo.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://riverside-resort.net/1/vietnam-journeys.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/1/the-beggars-throne.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://riverside-resort.net/1/web-design-grid-layout.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/1/team-building-blueprints-for-productivity-and-satisfaction.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/1/the-holy-see-teaching-on-catholic-schools.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/1/sub-zero-troubleshooting-manual.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://riverside-resort.net/1/universal-wisdom-tradition-the-theosophical-society.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/1/solution-of-calculus-howard-anton-4th-edition.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://uncpbisdegree.com/1/the-common-people-of-ancient-rome-studies-of-roman-life-and-literature.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://www.ascendercorp.com/In PDF document text
    • http://www.ascendercorp.com/typedesigners.htmlIn PDF document text
    • https://www.education.com/articles/In PDF document text
    • https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/In PDF document text
    • http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_P.htmlIn PDF document text
    • http://educationnext.org/ten-year-trends-in-public-opinion-from-ednext-poll-2016-survey/In PDF document text
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_New_ZealandIn PDF document text
    • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/sport-and-competitionIn PDF document text
    • https://www.buzzfeed.com/albertsamaha/kids-are-quoting-trump-to-bully-their-classmatesIn PDF document text
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensselaer_Polytechnic_InstituteIn PDF document text
    • http://www.readingrockets.org/article/teaching-metalinguistic-awareness-and-reading-comprehension-riddlesIn PDF document text
    • https://abcnews.go.com/US/In PDF document text
    • http://whale.to/b/sp/springmeier.htmlIn PDF document text
    • https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona-education/2018/05/01/arizona-redfored-teacher-budget-negotiations-live-updates/568891002/In PDF document text
    • https://www.thestar.com/vancouver.htmlIn PDF document text
    • http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=521839&CLCID=0409In PDF document text
    • http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=246338&CLCID=0409In PDF document text
    +4 more URL(s)

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
font_00_sfnt_off00005150.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (sfnt) at offset 0x5150 10244 bytes
SHA-256: e9e05324a626c3cc575570ec1b00811409c568f8901d013303ca335a50b0b175
font_01_sfnt_off00007209.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (sfnt) at offset 0x7209 7080 bytes
SHA-256: 1403b8b96742c2e4911e09557118eaadf8fdf3a74cfe14b8647eee62d8555431