PDF malware analysis — malicious · 99a326294d3069a9

MALICIOUS

PDF

187.4 KB Created: 1998-06-30 09:53:04 Authoring application: dvips 5.74 (MiKTeX 1.08) Copyright 1997 Radical Eye Software (www.radicaleye.com) (via 376377000A000c000r000o000b000a000t000 000D000i000s000t000i000l000l000e000r000 0003000.00000002)

MD5: e5231bbf1d00c6a67227bd16f724b344 SHA-1: cd215df004f8beb6d3a8ad1111afd60f39aaad59 SHA-256: 99a326294d3069a9fd2fbf529fd11978bfb0f61af7620f68a9d02719db4b7f94

394 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK

T1204.002 Malicious File T1059.003 Windows Command Shell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer T1566.001 Spearphishing Attachment

The PDF contains JavaScript that triggers a launch action, executing cmd.exe. This action is designed to drop an embedded file, which is identified as a Windows executable masquerading as 'abstract.pdf'. The ML classifier and ClamAV detection strongly indicate malicious intent, likely for delivering a second-stage payload.

Machine Learning

Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9987

Heuristics 9

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
/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\\abstract.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.Exploit.Agent-20668 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION

ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-20668
/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

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

Filename	Kind	Source	Size
`abstract.pdf` `7654737034e1cc409ba48cb03c352a63738502caaf9825a083a885e3b3ada64f`	pdf-embedded-file	PDF EmbeddedFile object 429 at offset 0x2D929	9216 bytes
`javascript_obj0430_000.js` `1d5e155e760cdd02a6e67c9f15989d111d1218a730be4ba40f3a1d4f9edb0195`	pdf-javascript-stream	PDF /JS object 430 at offset 0x2EA0C	57 bytes

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