Analyzing Macro Malware In Office Documents

---
name: analyzing-macro-malware-in-office-documents
description: Use when analyzes malicious VBA macros embedded in Microsoft Office documents
  (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to identify download cradles, payload execution, persistence
  mechanisms, and anti-analysis techniques. Uses olevba, oledump, and VBA deobfuscation
  to extract the attack chain. Activates for requests involving Office macro analysis,
  VBA malware investigation, maldoc analysis, or document-based threat examination.
  . Use when working with analyzing macro malware in office documents.
domain: cybersecurity
tags:
- malware
- macro
- Office
- VBA
- document-malware
subdomain: malware-analysis
version: 1.0.0
author: oyi77
license: Apache-2.0
atlas_techniques:
- AML.T0068
- AML.T0067
d3fend_techniques:
- File Metadata Consistency Validation
- Application Protocol Command Analysis
- Identifier Analysis
- Content Format Conversion
- Message Analysis
nist_csf:
- DE.AE-02
- RS.AN-03
- ID.RA-01
- DE.CM-01
category: cybersecurity
---

# Analyzing Macro Malware In Office Documents

## Overview

Cybersecurity skill for analyzing macro malware in office documents. Follows industry best practices and security standards.

## When to Use
**Trigger phrases:**
- "analyzing macro malware in office documents"
- "Analyzes malicious VBA macros embedded in Microsoft Office documents (Word, Exce"


- A suspicious Office document (.doc, .docm, .xls, .xlsm, .ppt) has been flagged by email security
- Investigating phishing campaigns that deliver weaponized Office documents
- Extracting VBA macro code to identify the payload download URL and execution method
- Analyzing obfuscated VBA code to understand the full attack chain
- Determining if a document uses DDE, ActiveX, or remote template injection instead of macros

**Do not use** for analyzing non-macro Office threats (DDE, remote template injection); while this skill covers detection of these, specialized analysis may be needed.


## 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 oletools installed (`pip install oletools`)
- oledump.py from Didier Stevens (https://blog.didierstevens.com/programs/oledump-py/)
- Isolated analysis VM without Microsoft Office installed (prevents accidental execution)
- XLMDeobfuscator for Excel 4.0 macro analysis (pip install xlmdeobfuscator)
- LibreOffice for safe document rendering (does not execute VBA macros by default)

## Workflow

```python
# 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 macro malware in office documents artifacts or data sources to examine and the investigation timeline.
2. **Preserve Evidence** — Create forensic copies of relevant data. Maintain chain of custody documentation.
3. **Extract Key Indicators** — Parse and extract relevant macro malware in office documents data points from collected artifacts.
4. **Correlate Findings** — Cross-reference extracted data with other sources (threat intel, logs, timelines).
5. **Build Timeline** — Construct a chronological sequence of events related to macro malware in office documents.
6. **Document Analysis** — Write findings report with evidence, conclusions, and recommendations.

## Tools

- **Forensic Toolkit** — Evidence collection and analysis
- **Timeline Tools** — Chronological event reconstruction
- **Log Analysis Platform** — Centralized log parsing and search


## Process

1. **Reconnaissance** — Gather target information, identify attack surface, enumerate services
1. **Analysis/Exploitation** — Execute the technique, analyze results, document findings
1. **Reporting** — Document IOCs, write findings, provide remediation recommendations

## Verification

- [ ] All macro malware in office documents procedures executed completely and documented
- [ ] Findings validated against multiple data sources
- [ ] False positives identified and filtered
- [ ] Results documented with evidence and timestamps
- [ ] Recommendations provided with risk-based prioritization

## Anti-Rationalization Table

| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|---|
| "We are too small to be targeted" | Automated attacks target everyone. Size does not matter. |
| "Security slows us down" | A breach slows you down 100x more. Build security in from the start. |
| "We will fix it after launch" | Vulnerabilities in production are exploited within hours. Fix before deploy. |