Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 8e83420329299227…

MALICIOUS

PDF

193.2 KB Created: 2008-01-27 21:22:13 -08:00 Authoring application: LaTeX with hyperref package (via pdfeTeX-1.21a) First seen: 2026-05-09
MD5: 02cc316d6ec925e49f90d5185ab5b2fd SHA-1: a2f494c8abde140dd8e61521ee9e799dfaa2b74e SHA-256: 8e834203292992277c1307bc26ea745cb53fc8b99c213e1de4621a4da707fc75
660 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1204.002 User Execution: Malicious File T1059.003 Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command Shell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer T1566.002 Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment

This PDF document exploits CVE-2010-1240 via a launch action to execute cmd.exe. The command attempts to change directory and then likely proceeds to launch an embedded PE payload, detected as Win.Trojan.Rozena-131 by ClamAV. The PDF itself is detected as Pdf.Exploit.Agent-22118. The document body discusses ActiveX controls, suggesting a lure related to software functionality or exploitation.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9965

Heuristics 16

  • 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.
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-22118 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-22118
  • 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\\ActiveX_active_expl.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.
  • Suspicious extracted artifact critical 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.
  • /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.
  • Clickable PDF combines external action with parser-evasion structure high PDF_ACTION_PARSER_EVASION
    PDF has an external clickable URI together with object graph or xref structures that make parsers disagree, such as divergent duplicate objects, parser divergence, or xref offset mismatch. That combination is stronger than a plain link: the document is both an outward-action carrier and a parser-confusion/evasion sample.
  • 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.
  • JavaScript action low 1 related finding 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
  • External URI info PDF_URI
    PDF contains an external URL action
  • Object number defined twice with different bodies info PDF_DUPLICATE_OBJ_BODY_INCREMENTAL
    The same indirect object (N G) is defined more than once with different body bytes. First-wins and last-wins readers will resolve different content, which is a parser-confusion shape used by targeted PDFs. Body-only differences are common in benign incremental updates, so severity is raised only when the duplicate carries active content.
  • 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.nologin.org PDF link annotation
    • http://www.milw0rm.com/exploits/4720In PDF document text
    • http://www.milw0rm.com/exploits/4825In PDF document text
    • http://taossa.comIn PDF document text
    • http://labs.idefense.com/software/fuzzing.php#more_comraiderIn PDF document text
    • http://www.milw0rm.com/exploits/4420In PDF document text
    • http://labs.idefense.com/software/fuzzing.php#moreIn PDF document text
    • tcp://192.168.0.171:8888In extracted file (ActiveX_active_expl.pdf)
    • http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa751968.aspxIn PDF document text
    • http://www.metasploit.com/users/hdm/tools/axman/In PDF document text
    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveXIn PDF document text
    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveX_controlIn PDF document text

Extracted artifacts 11

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
ActiveX_active_expl.pdf pdf-embedded-file PDF EmbeddedFile object 220 at offset 0x2B35A 37888 bytes
SHA-256: fb1a9fe4a163ab1ea11a3db3cbae54c38a9ac8846572435dc5b2c46887bac68b
Detection
ClamAV: Win.Trojan.Rozena-131
Obfuscation or payload: likely
actual_type=PE; declared_or_context_type=PDF; filename=ActiveX_active_expl.pdf; kind=pdf-embedded-file Static shellcode analysis recovered the Metasploit stager connect-back address: 192.168.0.171:8888 (reverse/x86, lab (non-routable)) Static shellcode analysis found candidate code region(s). Indicators: SC_PEB_ACCESS, SC_MSF_BIND, SC_PUSH_STRING Static shellcode analysis recovered API/import strings: GetProcAddress, ExitProcess, LoadLibraryA, VirtualAlloc
javascript_obj0221_000.js pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 221 at offset 0x30060 68 bytes
SHA-256: e5da64b53966878f4560a559ef01fe3451d574f095a10b50b9c54d1ac6f30462
Preview script
First 1,000 lines of the extracted script
this.exportDataObject({ cName: "ActiveX_active_expl", nLaunch: 0 });
stream_023_off000246b1.bin decompressed-pdf-stream PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0x246B1 4657 bytes
SHA-256: bf114597a620b3948e9b768d50f35907c33143632b7af679b32f3fb3c986f360
font_00_type1_off000171c4.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x171C4 1858 bytes
SHA-256: 300e78cf5f0022be46e453a7239562a75472013e54698dd0a6701f1cc79a6df8
font_01_type1_off00017874.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x17874 7568 bytes
SHA-256: 0028664400f5755b41b28091e0ae85cb7a6622f39234ffe01d60bda79833c742
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.64, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_02_type1_off00019633.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x19633 17326 bytes
SHA-256: 2cc8fe11bdd3cb791030d6356cb0cad82d8e1107187568e6a4bc69cdf2ef95bb
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.83, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_03_type1_off0001da9d.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1DA9D 8038 bytes
SHA-256: ff6aa1fb1a43d830a31d4d1654b502a9112295572db0afaa85f733be60e25cbb
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.66, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_04_type1_off0001fa8b.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1FA8B 11006 bytes
SHA-256: e2d57d48cfa5172193cfbbc869adf4e7f1cfcb7c867d5e4a75d976f4f2d39b28
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.74, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_05_type1_off00022608.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x22608 5249 bytes
SHA-256: 85fc13af728ef001646358bb0039840928d8c734203777246258b87b93d8c5d5
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.43, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_06_type1_off00023b5d.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x23B5D 2992 bytes
SHA-256: 86b5030002c840fbbdb8b0db06f90dafa297bd53154509fbc033e1b70d00ce5c
font_08_type1_off00025995.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x25995 14896 bytes
SHA-256: fe05b48f9bf68761027703dde521ec1757bf695ab369bd1f023d8677855caf19
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.80, consistent with packed or encrypted content.