Malicious PDF — malware analysis report

Static analysis result for SHA-256 e7a4b05c70ed821c…

MALICIOUS

PDF

1.47 MB Created: 2012-05-10 18:09:54 -03:00 Authoring application: Adobe InDesign CS4 (6.0.5) (via Adobe PDF Library 9.0)
MD5: def0c24ecce130c0999c3cdd7eea48e3 SHA-1: f1159e0c89238658337179da16555f0103b3c958 SHA-256: e7a4b05c70ed821c7a8081ff6292c53ebe1267b31f92ea662f69a47a56f5f122
576 Risk Score

Malware Insights

MITRE ATT&CK
T1204.002 Malicious File Execution: Malicious PDF T1204.001 Malicious File Execution: User Execution: Malicious Link T1059.003 Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command Shell T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer

The PDF contains JavaScript that triggers a launch action, specifically targeting cmd.exe. This action is designed to download and execute an embedded Windows executable payload, masquerading as 'template.pdf'. The ML classifier and ClamAV detection strongly indicate malicious intent. The embedded JavaScript is responsible for the download and execution of the second-stage payload.

Machine Learning

  • Nyx PDF Classifier malicious score 0.9836

Heuristics 15

  • 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\\template.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.
  • 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.
  • PDF paints image(s) but contains no text operators medium 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.
  • 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
  • External URI info PDF_URI
    PDF contains an external URL action
  • 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://www.startuplessonslearned.com
    • http://www.webholic.com.br
    • http://www.inovacaoenegocios.com
    • http://www.resultson.com.br
    • http://www.bizrevolution.com.br
    • http://www.opulodogato.org
    • http://aceleradora.net/blog
    • http://www.becocomsaida.blog.br
    • http://www.endeavor.org.br
    • http://www.tribodomouse.com.br
    • http://www.saiadolugar.com.br
    • http://www.brasil20.org
    • http://www.startups-brasil.com
    • http://boo-box.com/anuncie
    • http://boo-box.com/startups/pt
    • http://lemon.com/
    • http://www.belpesce.com/pt/sobre.php
    • http://www.sandbox-network.com/
    • http://www.ameninadovale.com
    • http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/
    • http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/mm/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ResourceEvent#
    • http://ns.adobe.com/tiff/1.0/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/photoshop/1.0/
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpJMT9cUaP8
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ResourceRef#
    • http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html
    • http://www.avc.com
    • http://sethgodin.typepad.com
    • http://www.mashable.com
    • http://www.gigaom.com
    • http://www.techcrunch.com
    • http://www.venturebeat.com
    • http://www.thenextweb.com
    • http://startups.ig.com.br
    • http://www.youtube.com/user/maninthearenatv
    • http://www.youtube.com/user/GeracaodeValor
    • http://www.youtube.com/user/brasileirosnovale
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM&ob=av3e
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smp0nqpovuM
    • http://www.ooyala.com/
    • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD7xn09sdcg
    • http://www.ted.com/fellows
    • http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/br/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/g/img/
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/sType/ManifestItem#
    • http://ns.adobe.com/xmp/InDesign/private
    +1 more URL(s)

Extracted artifacts 12

Files carved from inside the sample during analysis.

FilenameKindSourceSize
template.pdf
395496d7f966ad4c931f7863f0151dbb34c63ea4212a7e12428a9a972ea7e822
pdf-embedded-file PDF EmbeddedFile object 429 at offset 0x16BF25 73802 bytes
Detection
ClamAV: Win.Trojan.MSShellcode-7
Obfuscation or payload: unlikely
javascript_obj0430_000.js
bc1d5cdfa608238e3cd965aa51949d02f8ab713463ea0beb61ec928b121788d1
pdf-javascript-stream PDF /JS object 430 at offset 0x176B72 57 bytes
stream_007_off00003e56.bin
7919d7da6796ed03eb7858b1803af23236a8aaa1199cb00c8aa921fe9f728763
decompressed-pdf-stream PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0x3E56 1110 bytes
stream_098_off000e903b.bin
bb72c00c9b4e171f671f9d4f4129d3ea174bfbb7910aa17ef65b4be0951da5c7
decompressed-pdf-stream PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0xE903B 2095 bytes
stream_106_off000ee795.bin
bf047859465fbcd25cacbf81eb59248e017c74b5119273d28cb3a9ee0b8f1110
decompressed-pdf-stream PDF FlateDecoded stream at offset 0xEE795 5032 bytes
icc_00_off00001e2f.icc
2b3aa1645779a9e634744faf9b01e9102b0c9b88fd6deced7934df86b949af7e
pdf-icc-profile PDF ICC profile at offset 0x1E2F 3144 bytes
font_00_cff_off00002893.bin
286253e0698c301fbbc8d312ebc92a536f4c88d325daba7c6cbbbecdf52dd174
pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (cff) at offset 0x2893 7240 bytes
font_03_cff_off000ea26a.bin
9c0549a76e0773c5a40a2e31c8f5125fb86fe50afcede6bc58aeb51ca6d21bd7
pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (cff) at offset 0xEA26A 4495 bytes
font_04_cff_off000eb911.bin
90669887ebb487d3a089103b4a01855b255349a955aa6604189852630c548826
pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (cff) at offset 0xEB911 6363 bytes
font_05_cff_off000ed2e6.bin
2498d1cea644273cbccda3993fa8c7033d1c57fd2f192fe5a1538ff34a1e1c38
pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (cff) at offset 0xED2E6 4331 bytes
font_07_cff_off000f02f0.bin
260d4c38c12d8b10c1c5a83f3d43628331153f49932d9e791ca32e48f1cc6066
pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (cff) at offset 0xF02F0 2336 bytes
font_08_cff_off000f0c93.bin
f5ce527ad187bc7b12e2961c3d23b289e7fbd8d9e47b3be4760ff5bb8568a818
pdf-font-stream PDF embedded font (cff) at offset 0xF0C93 535 bytes