Rise in Deceptive PDF: The Gateway to Malicious Payloads

Summary

There has been a rise in the distribution of malware through PDF files, posing a significant threat to users. Attackers exploit the trust associated with PDF files to deceive users into opening them.

Highlights

  • 📈 Significant surge in malware distributed through PDF files
  • 🎣 Attackers exploit trust associated with PDFs to deceive users
  • 🔗 PDFs often contain payloads hosted on malicious websites
  • 📧 Malware distributed through PDF attachments in emails
  • ⚙️ Infection chain involves executing embedded JavaScript using MSHTA and PowerShell
  • 🛡️ Attackers use Bitly URLs to hide malicious links
  • 🤖 Payload injected into legitimate binaries using process injection

https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/rise-in-deceptive-pdf-the-gateway-to-malicious-payloads/