Emotet — Office (OOXML) / .XLSM malware analysis

Static analysis result for SHA-256 62b36585aa3d18c2…

MALICIOUS

Office (OOXML) / .XLSM

3.65 MB Created: 2021-05-10 15:58:32 UTC Authoring application: Microsoft Excel 15.0300
MD5: 65a5f80bead7657a5c14641f145f8748 SHA-1: e571d18bd8f32fe90da74aec8352afb538f99dbf SHA-256: 62b36585aa3d18c2457c639ae79049f4b6459fb38b251a40165b657c49cdf5ef
372 Risk Score

Malware Insights

Emotet · confidence 95%

MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.005 Visual Basic T1204.002 Malicious File T1071.001 Web Protocols T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter T1566.001 Spearphishing Attachment

The sample is a macro-enabled Excel document containing a Workbook_Open macro that utilizes `CreateObject` to download and execute a second-stage payload. The macro's functionality is to download a file from one of the provided URLs, such as `https://meskot.org/wp-content/plugins/litespeed-cache/src/cdn/0Rek020ky.php`, and then execute it using `rundll32.exe`. This behavior is consistent with Emotet's typical download and execution chain.

Heuristics 11

  • VBA downloads and writes a file to disk critical OLE_VBA_HTTP_DROP_EXEC
    VBA reads an HTTP response body and writes it to disk (ADODB.Stream SaveToFile). Combined with the auto-exec/Shell paths this is a download-drop dropper even when the COM ProgIDs are built dynamically to evade keyword scanning.
  • ClamAV: Doc.Downloader.Emotet-10019767-0 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Doc.Downloader.Emotet-10019767-0
  • 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.
  • Workbook_Open macro high OLE_VBA_WBOPEN
    Workbook_Open macro
  • CreateObject call high OLE_VBA_CREATEOBJ
    CreateObject call
  • VBA p-code auto-exec with execution tokens high OLE_VBA_PCODE_AUTOEXEC_EXEC
    Compiled VBA/cache stream contains an auto-execution token together with shell/download/object-execution tokens. This catches p-code-only or source-extraction-failure macro documents where visible source is unavailable.
  • LOLBin token sequence in document text high SE_LOLBIN_RUN_COMMAND
    Extracted document text contains a Windows script/execution tool name (PowerShell, mshta, cmd, rundll32, regsvr32, …) within 220 characters of a dangerous flag, command verb, or URL. This is a visible 'run this' instruction in HTML/PDF/RTF lure bodies, or — in macro-laden Office files — the macro's own string-pool entries appearing adjacent in extracted text.
  • VBA project inside OOXML medium OOXML_VBA
    Document contains a VBA project — VBA macros present
  • Environ() call (env variable access) low OLE_VBA_ENVIRON
    Environ() call (env variable access)
  • 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 https://meskot.org/wp-content/plugins/litespeed-cache/src/cdn/0Rek020ky.php
    • https://www.rebelda.com/wp-content/plugins/cm-pop-up-banners/package/css/utCERekg51.php
    • https://mtzasesores.com/wp-content/themes/invictus/templates/events/aVORUgnnJ.php
    • https://bbw.checkmynewsite.com/wp-content/themes/twentytwentyone/template-parts/content/nEE7SGUw.php
    • https://pointmultimedia.ro/wp-content/plugins/vc-extensions-bundle/borderhover/css/XALocVvcrU.php
    • https://wartacitarum.com/wp-content/plugins/jetpack/json-endpoints/jetpack/dP0MPiEN.php
    • https://plajmarket.com/test/js/masterslider/skins/black-1/jZUAv16TOpcKz.php
    • https://inhousecare.org/GNyTpi4kVJrip.php
    • https://agenciadm.com.mx/images/portfolios/app/m9wyRuevyy2gX.php

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
macros.bas
9965325843494cee285ec40085bd43b03a67b5b4339d321d81153ead3cf3c28c		 vba-macro oletools.olevba.extract_macros (decoded VBA source from OOXML) 2591361 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 2 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).
vbaProject_00.bin
97d2775a634f7643189d3cccc0de9310a0ac4a3c698a4fa9c21575f8a1b02c58		 vba-project OOXML VBA project: xl/vbaProject.bin 5270528 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: Doc.Downloader.Emotet-10019767-0
Obfuscation or payload: unlikely

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