MALICIOUS
264
Risk Score
Malware Insights
MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.001 PowerShell
T1204.002 Malicious JavaScript
The PDF file contains embedded JavaScript and is flagged as an exploit cluster, indicating it's designed to execute malicious code. The critical PDF_JS_EXPLOIT_CLUSTER and high PDF_GENERIC_STAGE_RECOVERY heuristics, along with the ML_NYX_PDF_MALICIOUS flag, strongly suggest this PDF is a malicious downloader. The embedded JavaScript file, 'generic_stage_recovery_000.js', is the primary artifact for delivering the secondary payload.
Machine Learning
- Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9993
Heuristics 10
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PDF JavaScript exploit cluster critical PDF_JS_EXPLOIT_CLUSTERPDF combines an executable JavaScript/action surface with exploit staging indicators such as eval/unescape/fromCharCode, XFA script content, or a related CVE pattern. Benign form JavaScript remains low-severity, but this correlated cluster is high-confidence malicious behavior.
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RichMedia (Flash) high PDF_RICHMEDIAPDF contains /RichMedia (Adobe Flash) which is a historic exploit vector
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Encrypted PDF carries /JavaScript — payload hidden from static analysis high PDF_ENCRYPTED_WITH_JSPDF declares /Encrypt and also references an executable trigger (/JavaScript). Document encryption hides the JavaScript body and stream contents from static scanners — combined with auto-execution indicators this is a known evasion pattern used to deliver weaponised JavaScript that the analyst cannot inspect without the decryption key.
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Generic recovered JavaScript exploit stage high PDF_GENERIC_STAGE_RECOVERYBounded static stage recovery exposed hidden JavaScript through generic transforms such as null-byte collapse, percent decoding, marker replacement, arithmetic character codes, fromCharCode, numeric arrays, numeric-array minus-key decoders, alphabet-index arrays, /Producer half-difference metadata arrays, hex literals, marker-stripped Base64 literals, custom 6-bit XOR table decoders, or repeated-marker hex carriers. This rule is emitted only when the recovered stage contains exploit-like Acrobat JavaScript or shellcode markers.
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ASCIIHexDecode filter (with exploit indicators) medium PDF_FILTER_HEXHex-encoding filter present alongside exploit delivery indicators — often used to hide payload or shellcode bytes
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JavaScript action low PDF_JAVASCRIPTPDF contains a /JavaScript action. Generic JavaScript is common in benign forms; specific dangerous APIs are scored by separate rules.
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Embedded JS stream low PDF_JSPDF references a /JS stream. Generic JavaScript is common in benign forms; specific dangerous APIs are scored by separate rules.
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Embedded file low PDF_EMBEDDEDPDF embeds a file attachment — could carry an executable or another weaponised document as a nested payload
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XFA form low PDF_XFAPDF uses XML Forms Architecture — can contain script logic
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PDF paints image(s) but contains no text operators info PDF_IMAGE_ONLY_LUREPDF has 1 image XObject(s) and the content stream contains no text-emitting operators (BT/ET, Tj, TJ, ', ") in either raw bytes or decompressed streams — this is the screenshot-as-PDF pattern used to bypass text-based scanners and to deliver instructions purely through rendered pixels. It is informational unless paired with invisible links or risky URI context.
Extracted artifacts 1
Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.
| Filename | Kind | Source | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
generic_stage_recovery_000.js5a3d7ba14259bd43d3a05b93179d071f78a1f224e4943c7a73439d905bfb7075 |
deobfuscated-js | generic stage recovery split-literal-normalize from decompressed stream at 0x0 at offset 0x0 | 130817 bytes |
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