PDF malware analysis — malicious · d104f6a976c06d4e

MALICIOUS

PDF

174.8 KB Created: 2010-09-08 11:02:47 -04:00 Authoring application: Writer (via OpenOffice.org 3.2)

MD5: d7606cdfb3207f333b94a0b67bdd5fc3 SHA-1: 4e34a06ce6a2ba483de8215704f804932b7acf86 SHA-256: d104f6a976c06d4ea25146c048eaab675da68e6a970b72d5f2925e8a74465279

534 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK

T1204.002 Malicious File T1566.002 Spearphishing Attachment T1059.001 PowerShell T1204.001 User Execution

The PDF file contains embedded JavaScript and a Windows executable payload disguised as a PDF attachment named 'NATO_Comms.pdf'. The critical heuristic 'CVE_2010_1240' indicates that the PDF exploits a launch action vulnerability in Adobe Reader to execute 'cmd.exe' with specific parameters. This chained exploit aims to download and execute the embedded PE payload, which was detected by ClamAV as 'Win.Exploit.Countdown-1'. The ML classifier also strongly flagged this PDF as malicious.

Machine Learning

Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 1.0000

Heuristics 12

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\\NATO_Comms.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.Tool.Agent-1388586 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION

ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586
ClamAV detection on extracted artifact critical EXTRACTED_FILE_CLAMAV

ClamAV flagged at least one file extracted from inside this sample. Even when the wrapping document carries no AV detection of its own, a hit on the carved artifact is a strong indicator the sample is a delivery vehicle.
/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.
Image-only document with action trigger (screenshot lure) medium PDF_IMAGE_LURE

PDF has 1 image(s), only 0 text block(s), carries a click-outward action, and is only 174 KB — typical shape of a phishing lure where a full-page screenshot hides a clickable button that launches or submits to an attacker URL.
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
`NATO_Comms.pdf` `bb9ad97c19ca558b8028b25419de5f4ec38aed29a501ca2dd47b73a410832dee`	pdf-embedded-file	PDF EmbeddedFile object 18 at offset 0x20894	73802 bytes
Detection ClamAV: Win.Exploit.Countdown-1 Obfuscation or payload: unlikely
`javascript_obj0019_000.js` `a5a5cc8555927742caeffff9b2dc16561685280be8969a1c1340feb0a6546aff`	pdf-javascript-stream	PDF /JS object 19 at offset 0x2B745	59 bytes

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