MALICIOUS
140
Risk Score
Malware Insights
MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.005 Visual Basic
T1204.002 Malicious File
The critical heuristics indicate the presence of Excel 4.0 macros with an Auto_Open function, which is a known technique for executing malicious code. The XLM Auto_Open uses dangerous formula APIs, specifically the RUN function, to likely download and execute a second-stage payload from one of the extracted URLs. The macro sheet is hidden and uses obfuscated naming conventions, suggesting an attempt to evade detection.
Heuristics 3
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Excel 4.0 Auto_Open defined name critical OLE_XLM_AUTOOPEN_DEFINEDNAMEoletools recovered an Auto_Open / Auto_Close entry from an Excel 4.0 macro sheet. The raw BIFF name can be tokenized or partially opaque to byte-string checks, but the recovered macro listing confirms the workbook has an XLM auto-execution entry.
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XLM Auto_Open with dangerous formula APIs critical OLE_XLM_DANGEROUS_FNExcel 4.0 macro sheet contains an Auto_Open / Auto_Close entry and dangerous XLM formula APIs that can invoke programs, write files, or transfer control without VBA.
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Excel 4.0 (XLM) macro sheet present medium OLE_XLM_AUTOOPENWorkbook contains an Excel 4.0 macro sheet sub-stream — XLM is rarely seen in modern legitimate workbooks and was a major Office malware vector during 2020-2022.
Extracted artifacts 1
Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.
| Filename | Kind | Source | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
xlm_macros.txt5111faade6798439ce43161a25c95a0c795073df8f05008e90c40cef2fd124d6 |
xlm-macro | oletools.olevba.extract_all_macros (XLM macro listing) | 7798 bytes |
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