Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 d5a9f00f9129aaa4…

MALICIOUS

PDF

231.7 KB Created: 2009-10-26 13:04:45 -05:00 Authoring application: LaTeX with hyperref package (via pdfTeX-1.40.3) First seen: 2026-05-09
MD5: fb561eea79604824f6c2b1f37af2e213 SHA-1: 4caa0b55914c5b4af3a57771076f436ed90eaacf SHA-256: d5a9f00f9129aaa4a33f4de0b8d4a10c27609af81818c7382b1ae3d629769255
680 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution T1566.001 Spearphishing Attachment T1059.007 JavaScript

This PDF file contains embedded JavaScript that triggers a launch action, exploiting CVE-2010-1240 to execute a payload. The JavaScript uses `this.exportDataObject` to drop an embedded executable disguised as 'users_guide.pdf'. The embedded executable was detected by ClamAV as a Windows Trojan (Win.Trojan.Swrort-5710536-0), and the PDF itself is flagged as malicious by ML classifiers and ClamAV (Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586). The presence of Metasploit stager indicators further supports its malicious nature.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9944

Heuristics 17

  • 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.
  • ClamAV: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586 critical CLAMAV_DETECTION
    ClamAV detected this file as malware: Pdf.Tool.Agent-1388586
  • 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\\users_guide.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.
  • Suspicious extracted artifact critical 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.
  • /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.
  • Clickable PDF combines external action with parser-evasion structure high PDF_ACTION_PARSER_EVASION
    PDF has an external clickable URI together with object graph or xref structures that make parsers disagree, such as divergent duplicate objects, parser divergence, or xref offset mismatch. That combination is stronger than a plain link: the document is both an outward-action carrier and a parser-confusion/evasion sample.
  • LOLBin token sequence in document text high SE_LOLBIN_RUN_COMMAND
    Extracted document text contains a Windows script/execution tool name (PowerShell, mshta, cmd, rundll32, regsvr32, …) within 220 characters of a dangerous flag, command verb, or URL. This is a visible 'run this' instruction in HTML/PDF/RTF lure bodies, or — in macro-laden Office files — the macro's own string-pool entries appearing adjacent in extracted text.
  • Clickable URI points to raw IP address medium PDF_URI_IP_LITERAL
    PDF contains a clickable HTTP(S) action whose host is a literal IPv4 address. Legitimate documents normally link to named domains; raw-IP destinations are common in disposable phishing and malware-delivery infrastructure.
  • JavaScript action low 1 related finding 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
  • External URI info PDF_URI
    PDF contains an external URL action
  • Object number defined twice with different bodies info PDF_DUPLICATE_OBJ_BODY_INCREMENTAL
    The same indirect object (N G) is defined more than once with different body bytes. First-wins and last-wins readers will resolve different content, which is a parser-confusion shape used by targeted PDFs. Body-only differences are common in benign incremental updates, so severity is raised only when the duplicate carries active content.
  • Embedded URL info EMBEDDED_URL
    One or more URLs were extracted from the document. The URL itself is not a detection — see the per-URL labels for which channel (macro, JS, link annotation, document body, ...) reached each URL.
    URL http://127.0.0.1:55555/ PDF link annotation
    • http://www.harmonysecurity.com/files/HS-P005_ReflectiveDllInjection.pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://www.uninformed.org/?v=1&a=3&t=pdfIn PDF document text
    • http://www.zeustech.net/Referenced by PDF JavaScript
    • http://]hostname[:port]/pathIn extracted file (users_guide.pdf)
    • tcp://10.0.0.6:1337In extracted file (users_guide.pdf)
    • http://www.metasploit.com/Referenced by PDF JavaScript
    • https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/282302In PDF document text
    • http://metasploit.com/framework/download/Referenced by PDF JavaScript
    • http://metasploit.com/framework/supportReferenced by PDF JavaScript
    • http://subversion.tigris.org/faq.html#proxyIn PDF document text
    • http://spool.metasploit.com/In PDF document text
    • http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=104612710031920&q=p3Referenced by PDF JavaScript
    • http://www.metasploit.comReferenced by PDF JavaScript
    • http://www.metasploit.com/documents/meterpreter.pdfReferenced by PDF JavaScript
    • http://www.apache.org/Referenced by PDF JavaScript

Extracted artifacts 15

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
users_guide.pdf pdf-embedded-file PDF EmbeddedFile object 477 at offset 0x2ED04 73802 bytes
SHA-256: 14aff4208696214e8f7a3a4617909eadd652f6001a99d56ce9b26993d37399a0
Detection
ClamAV: Win.Trojan.Swrort-5710536-0
Obfuscation or payload: likely
actual_type=PE; declared_or_context_type=PDF; filename=users_guide.pdf; kind=pdf-embedded-file Static shellcode analysis recovered the Metasploit stager connect-back address: 10.0.0.6:1337 (reverse/x86, lab (non-routable)) Static shellcode analysis found candidate code region(s). Indicators: SC_PEB_ACCESS, SC_MSF_BIND, SC_PUSH_STRING Static shellcode analysis recovered API/import strings: kernel32.dll, advapi32.dll, KERNEL32.DLL, ADVAPI32.DLL, LoadLibraryA, GetProcAddress
javascript_obj0478_000.js pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 478 at offset 0x399F7 60 bytes
SHA-256: a8e0025aba07b8e30a4ff8ec082b173c5f1987520ae4a404f054aa61dd32dea2
Preview script
First 1,000 lines of the extracted script
this.exportDataObject({ cName: "users_guide", nLaunch: 0 });
stream_027_off00013093.bin decompressed-pdf-stream PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0x13093 9832 bytes
SHA-256: 98b4c9d62a1d55ba5c43f20cc3acac57ab4a47bd28f69efcb1500d7796b3fe92
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.88, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_01_type1_off0001568a.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1568A 10861 bytes
SHA-256: 60b30b84dd9c5c5252d45e27e7a7e249447bef3e349a4f842aba359909dc48f1
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.87, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_02_type1_off00018036.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x18036 17591 bytes
SHA-256: e6fc6804f3f03b066f2f270a2931efc6f494bfff84a593cbf588bffc17e520b3
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.90, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_03_type1_off0001c3c6.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1C3C6 3288 bytes
SHA-256: 5d2b51b74060f9561f0131a8e74384197374bf191b9eb35bf4b4a8d04bfadd02
font_04_type1_off0001d0e9.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1D0E9 4794 bytes
SHA-256: 29285ea75d9663dd2bf6af3bd3bae40e82ea4851ef9bb55cd917eeff15aea4b5
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.77, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_05_type1_off0001e3b0.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1E3B0 1963 bytes
SHA-256: 4b2e74a3d572b425d807f80f59917fc7b2a4bd9fdaddbd487b3520ff1f0f4017
font_06_type1_off0001ebd7.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1EBD7 1954 bytes
SHA-256: dbab26b9e9d89bbb0d00262461da26e552a1b1ed12e88fede3e572aad218c190
font_07_type1_off0001f3f5.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x1F3F5 6518 bytes
SHA-256: 40fbf7968458fa48582d153167dc0d0eb407bc388a98296d8e8212b51bab7ee7
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.82, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_08_type1_off00020d3e.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x20D3E 1326 bytes
SHA-256: b49c2c086e9c589c6242d405a570a07fdba211181af8821afdbe9eeefd427c13
font_09_type1_off000212d9.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x212D9 3910 bytes
SHA-256: c01f655b28cb429b1871e22dd89fa78fd8202b582539c7324a543c408d8df743
font_10_type1_off00022273.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x22273 14877 bytes
SHA-256: e59fa527cc81f200139dc3e59f50f0f216df954cdbbd7122cd28b13374a43178
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.88, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_11_type1_off00025ba6.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x25BA6 12677 bytes
SHA-256: c966544533a4b24b4a363a64cbca036c550b152652663100f2bcc226b37d6be3
Detection
ClamAV: No threats found
Obfuscation or payload: likely
Carved artifact entropy is 7.87, consistent with packed or encrypted content.
font_12_type1_off00028c51.bin pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (type1) at offset 0x28C51 3814 bytes
SHA-256: 2a515d3352f53ccc7dccfa2dd9f82c79ce31cc7ade17182ab62d3a69a8bd8da7