Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 a38d1823e6648981…

MALICIOUS

PDF

8.0 KB
MD5: 98901f5c678a332ac235b4f95054a514 SHA-1: e0414c312ac5bc5d599539161cf27ae93540dc52 SHA-256: a38d1823e6648981af19c8a586c55c48129e00acdeafd0f27118a1950debb9ed
224 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1059.001 PowerShell T1204.002 Malicious File T1071.001 Web Protocols

This PDF file contains obfuscated JavaScript, identified by multiple heuristics including 'PDF_JAVASCRIPT', 'PDF_JS_OBFUSCATED_DROPPER', and 'CVE_2007_5659'. The JavaScript is designed to be a multi-stage dropper, likely downloading and executing a second-stage payload. The presence of 'ML_NYX_PDF_MALICIOUS' and 'CLAMAV_DETECTION' further confirms its malicious nature. The primary attack vector appears to be the exploitation of CVE-2007-5659.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 1.0000

Heuristics 8

  • Collab.collectEmailInfo — CVE-2007-5659 critical CVE exact CVE_2007_5659
    PDF JavaScript calls Collab.collectEmailInfo — CVE-2007-5659 is a buffer overflow in Adobe Reader triggered by a long argument or heap-sprayed message field passed to Collab.collectEmailInfo(). Part of a series of Acrobat JS API exploits. (identified after JavaScript deobfuscation)
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-35916 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Exploit.Agent-35916
  • Obfuscated multi-stage PDF JavaScript dropper high PDF_JS_OBFUSCATED_DROPPER
    PDF JavaScript shows 5 independent signals of exploit-kit-style multi-stage obfuscation: annot_subject_stage, hex_codec_loop, hex_dashed_payload, incremental_eval_build, repeated_pluginschk. This is strongly consistent with pre-2011 Adobe Reader PDF droppers — OpenAction JS reads encoded data from annotation subjects, decodes it through one or more hex / base-N loops, and invokes eval indirectly (method name built one character at a time). The actual CVE is hidden in the final decoded layer and is not visible via static analysis.
  • 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.
  • String.fromCharCode low PDF_FROMCHARCODE
    String.fromCharCode found — used to construct payload strings dynamically. Common in benign JavaScript libraries for codepoint manipulation, so this alone is informational; weaponised use is also caught by the dedicated fromCharCode-stage and exploit-shape rules. (matched inside decoded stream)
  • syncAnnotScan annotation-staging primitive low PDF_FOXIT_SYNCANNOTSCAN
    PDF JavaScript calls syncAnnotScan() — a no-op annotation-enumeration primitive used by exploit-kit JavaScript to stage payload reads from annotation /Subject fields before eval(). Not a vulnerable sink itself; rarely seen in legitimate PDFs. (matched in decompressed stream)
  • 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 4

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
javascript_obj0005_000.js
6c41320119e160dc719997b9a2efb3600ea9d7e9d7e44b4dc2125762dc9f365f
pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 5 at offset 0x148 505 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 2 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).
legacy_pdfkit_stage_000.js
c1898b5b4de85b8a9c180829373b822e43e199faa680d971a4ec864f46fa58ce
deobfuscated-js repeated-marker hex decoded JavaScript at offset 0x1ABA 1728 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 1 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).
legacy_pdfkit_stage_001.js
ca0d2ab2681cc1ac6ad87e98bc85c81f5d27fb8201a45c0c6169a088808484c9
deobfuscated-js annotation-subject callee-key decoded JavaScript at offset 0x352 4964 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 5 eval/decoder/string-building token(s).
deobfuscated.js
f77928ade42d318c65e42ccb40f9e572fefc50ef5f1c479bc482f1f02ad3c731
deobfuscated-js PDF JavaScript deobfuscation pass 25305 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact contains 7 eval/decoder/string-building token(s). Carved artifact contains 1 long base64-like blob(s).