PDF malware analysis — malicious · 8e2de4ab1f2a2e3a

MALICIOUS

PDF

170.2 KB Created: 2017-11-07 22:04:32 -05:00 Authoring application: Microsoft® Word 2013

MD5: fceac3374e6e3d4389dda11d35cce433 SHA-1: c18ab8367f1447ab0a5b6f30d388276be7b0b549 SHA-256: 8e2de4ab1f2a2e3a9603536f75f20963a7444e94050a30c3127edf74d80a8b52

466 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK

T1204.002 Malicious File T1059.003 Windows Command Shell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer T1027 Obfuscated Files or Information

The PDF contains embedded JavaScript and a launch action that executes cmd.exe with specific parameters. This strongly suggests the PDF is designed to exploit a vulnerability (potentially CVE-2010-1240 or CVE-2023-26369 related) to drop and execute an embedded Windows executable disguised as 'root.pdf'. The embedded executable is the primary payload, likely responsible for downloading further malicious content.

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.
TrueType bitmap font + active content — CVE-2023-26369 related high CVE related PDF_CVE_2023_26369_RELATED

PDF embeds a TrueType font with bitmap tables (EBDT/sbix/CBDT) alongside exploit delivery indicators — CVE-2023-26369 exploits the sfac_GetSbitBitmap function in Adobe's libCoolType for arbitrary code execution. This CVE was actively exploited in the wild, but this rule does not validate the malformed EBLC/EBDT primitive.
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\\root.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-7281606-0 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION

ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Dropper.Agent-7281606-0
/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
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 3

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

Filename	Kind	Source	Size
`root.pdf` `8ba53be1ebc870687558035feb50d46ab257e021b96cfedbb25fe6cd8fd26021`	pdf-embedded-file	PDF EmbeddedFile object 24 at offset 0x26813	16896 bytes
Detection ClamAV: No threats found Obfuscation or payload: likely Carved artifact entropy is 7.50, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
`javascript_obj0025_000.js` `f19b42f48fd3c2b791abbf23269727194f4552837bf1ee6a513486797b14f7a4`	pdf-javascript-stream	PDF /JS object 25 at offset 0x2A368	53 bytes
`stream_002_off0000086b.bin` `150652f2214873ef87da201128d957017dccacc306c1fef13dbe13c77268564f`	decompressed-pdf-stream	PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0x86B	356092 bytes

Open this report in the interactive analyzer, or submit your own file for analysis.