analyzing-malicious-pdf-with-peepdf

name	analyzing-malicious-pdf-with-peepdf
description	Perform static analysis of malicious PDF documents using peepdf, pdfid, and pdf-parser to extract embedded JavaScript, shellcode, and suspicious objects. Use when performing static analysis of malicious pdf documents using peepdf, pdfid,.
domain	cybersecurity
tags	["malware-analysis","pdf","peepdf","pdfid","pdf-parser","static-analysis","reverse-engineering","dfir"]
subdomain	malware-analysis
version	1.0
author	oyi77
license	Apache-2.0
nist_csf	["DE.AE-02","RS.AN-03","ID.RA-01","DE.CM-01"]

Analyzing Malicious Pdf With Peepdf

Overview

Cybersecurity skill for analyzing malicious pdf with peepdf. Follows industry best practices and security standards.

When to Use

Trigger phrases:

• "analyzing malicious pdf with peepdf"

• "Perform static analysis of malicious PDF documents using peepdf, pdfid, and pdf-"

• When triaging suspicious PDF attachments from phishing emails

• During malware analysis of PDF-based exploit documents

• When extracting embedded JavaScript, shellcode, or executables from PDFs

• For forensic examination of weaponized document artifacts

• When building detection signatures for PDF-based threats

When NOT to Use

• When you lack proper authorization for testing
• For production systems without change management
• When the task requires legal or compliance expertise beyond technical scope

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+ with peepdf-3 installed (pip install peepdf-3)
• pdfid.py and pdf-parser.py from Didier Stevens suite
• Isolated analysis environment (VM or sandbox)
• Optional: PyV8 for JavaScript emulation within peepdf
• Optional: Pylibemu for shellcode analysis

Workflow

# Example: IOC detection
import re

IOC_PATTERNS = {
    "ip": r"\b(?:\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}\b",
    "domain": r"\b[a-z0-9-]+\.[a-z]{2,}\b",
    "hash_md5": r"\b[a-f0-9]{32}\b",
    "hash_sha256": r"\b[a-f0-9]{64}\b",
}

def extract_iocs(text: str) -> dict:
    return {k: re.findall(v, text) for k, v in IOC_PATTERNS.items()}

1. Scope the Analysis — Define what malicious pdf artifacts or data sources to examine and the investigation timeline.