Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 c22d6c60b0ede9c6…

MALICIOUS

PDF

702.2 KB Created: >?[ïÁ|:m„V®g™ªB2 þ°$ Authoring application: ;f°“)~yå'ÙKËþ 9éæl}œ÷…‹ (via ;f°“)~yñ ì*CÌ÷k ÷®2/”ñ™‹Öyx)
MD5: dc477a3d357506c3a8c220c280e5a750 SHA-1: c30029fa49d3493cbe56223eb2e72ccb32fb43fb SHA-256: c22d6c60b0ede9c670b772148831006b39eb4072de628914a8e716b5975b5ef8
370 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1204.002 Malicious File T1059.003 Windows Command Shell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer T1059.001 PowerShell

The PDF file contains embedded JavaScript and a launch action that targets cmd.exe, indicating an attempt to execute arbitrary commands. The critical heuristic 'CVE_2010_1240' confirms this, specifically mentioning a launch action with shell parameters and an embedded-file/exportDataObject payload chain. The embedded PE payload further supports the malicious intent. The ClamAV detection 'Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586' also flags this as malware.

Heuristics 11

  • 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
  • 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\\manual.pdf" (cd "Desktop"' — references a known-dangerous executable (cmd, PowerShell, etc.).
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586
  • Encrypted PDF carries /js — payload hidden from static analysis high PDF_ENCRYPTED_WITH_JS
    PDF declares /Encrypt and also references an executable trigger (/js). 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.
  • 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
  • PDF paints image(s) but contains no text operators info PDF_IMAGE_ONLY_LURE
    PDF has 2 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.
  • PDF differential parser failed info PDF_DIFFERENTIAL_PARSE_FAILED
    The cross-check parser (pdfminer.six) failed on this file: PDF differential parser exited 1. Static heuristics still ran and any of their findings above are valid; only the differential cross-check signal is missing.

Extracted artifacts 2

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
javascript_obj0897_000.js
76595334d20f64533a1f0fc82533236aed103be28220cf87b9da87a3d9cbf07f
pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 897 at offset 0xAF31C 55 bytes
stream_001_off000a667e.bin
4555485d0337e7bd88f123b07209a71fffe3f5af87f0894a79ce4aaa1c8f58c2
decompressed-pdf-stream PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0xA667E 61440 bytes