Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 8d96806d2af10136…

MALICIOUS

PDF

59.1 KB Authoring application: 376377000P000D000F000C000r000e000a000t000o000r000 000V000e000r000s000i000o000n000 0001000.0000000.0002 (via GPL Ghostscript 8.70)
MD5: 5daa6a817ea83a84e66a07f2cc5f6492 SHA-1: 848fbc1188d44820d7c93486bdaa74fae73a11e7 SHA-256: 8d96806d2af1013667a941d2c69d04ee8cdd9e477b56ba6d8c67918e49ab40c7
514 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1204.002 Malicious File T1566.002 Spearphishing Attachment T1059.003 Windows Command Shell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer

The PDF contains embedded JavaScript and a launch action that targets cmd.exe, indicating an attempt to execute arbitrary commands. It also embeds a Windows executable disguised as a PDF file named 'lettera_invito.pdf'. This combination strongly suggests a dropper functionality, aiming to download and execute a secondary payload. The ClamAV detection of 'Pdf.Dropper.Agent-7281260-0' and 'Win.Trojan.MSShellcode-7' further confirms its malicious nature as a dropper.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 1.0000

Heuristics 12

  • 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.
  • 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 %HOMEDRIVE%&cd %HOMEPATH%&(if exist "Desktop\\lettera_invito.pdf" (cd "Desktop"' — 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.
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Dropper.Agent-7281260-0 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Dropper.Agent-7281260-0
  • 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.
  • /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.
  • 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
  • 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.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#
    • http://ns.adobe.com/iX/1.0/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/pdf/1.3/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/mm/
    • http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/

Extracted artifacts 3

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
lettera_invito.pdf
5e041b6eaa82d2c792a5d83a55e69edc7dab7b4cab5d15d15ad91639ad59f7b3		 pdf-embedded-file PDF EmbeddedFile object 27 at offset 0x3B6F 73802 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: Win.Trojan.MSShellcode-7
Obfuscation or payload: unlikely
javascript_obj0028_000.js
ea98b65a3491f216705a9d19add466c662db39b94ccee552e584c6e5cc1f7310		 pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 28 at offset 0xE7C6 63 bytes
font_00_sfnt_off000024be.bin
42a1a49e005929e3a513ad1506ccdd76aaeb1edfdf4480e1500f4e79ff572afd		 pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (sfnt) at offset 0x24BE 5480 bytes

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