Is Robert C. Koons, Timothy Pickavance, Metaphysics, The Fundamentals.pdf safe?
No antivirus engine detected the PDF, but one sandbox mapped offensive techniques and made an unchecked direct-IP connection, warranting added caution.
All 75 antivirus engines were free of detections, including 17 tier-1 products, and no malicious child or curated intelligence hit was found. However, one sandbox mapped credential dumping, process injection, and data destruction techniques, while its direct-IP contact lacks a completed reputation check.
fc3ff04e748c666d16…93df33e01aee46Recommended next actions
Before opening
Do not open it until the source can be verified independently.
If you already opened it
Stop using it, scan the device, and watch for unexpected behavior or security alerts. Get a fresh copy from the original trusted source and verify its exact hash when possible.
Intelligence
The saved assessment, checked against the scan evidence and recorded coverage.
The reasoning behind this verdict
This section explains the evidence supporting the verdict and keeps conflicting or missing signals visible.
All 75 antivirus engines were free of detections, including 17 tier-1 products, and no malicious child or curated intelligence hit was found. However, one sandbox mapped credential dumping, process injection, and data destruction techniques, while its direct-IP contact lacks a completed reputation check.
The strongest evidence is the absence of detections across 75 antivirus engines, with all 17 participating tier-1 products silent. The completed sandbox did not issue a malicious verdict, and none of the 10 inspected children was identified as malicious. Nevertheless, its telemetry mapped T1003, T1055, and T1485, which are offensive techniques requiring caution even though synthetic mappings can misattribute activity from the PDF reader environment. The run also contacted 18.207.85.246 directly, and no complete reputation result is available for that host. With no family consensus or external-intelligence corroboration, the evidence remains mixed rather than proving a specific threat.
What We Detected
No detections were reported by 75 antivirus engines, including 17 tier-1 products. No malware family was identified, and CIRCL, MalwareBazaar, and YARAify supplied no corroborating hit.
Threat Behavior
One completed sandbox run did not produce a malicious verdict, but its telemetry mapped T1003, T1055, and T1485. These potentially serious mappings may reflect attribution noise from Adobe Reader processes, so they do not independently establish malicious activity. The run contacted 18.207.85.246 directly; contactedHosts was unavailable, meaning no complete host-reputation conclusion can be drawn. Ten written or dropped hashes were inspected without a malicious child finding, although their individual verdicts remain unknown.
What To Do Now
Open the document only in a fully updated PDF reader with endpoint protection enabled. If the source is unfamiliar, verify it independently or use an isolated environment until the direct-IP contact and sandbox technique mappings can be investigated further.
Where this verdict could be wrong3 caveats
- The T1003, T1055, and T1485 mappings are meaningful counter-signals despite the complete absence of antivirus detections.
- The direct contact to 18.207.85.246 was not reputation-checked because contactedHosts=null.
- The file has only 2 unique sources and 3 submissions, so prevalence provides limited reassurance.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- 0/75 antivirus engines reported a detection.
- All 17 tier-1 engines reported no detection.
- behaviour.hasMaliciousSandboxVerdict=false.
- droppedChildren.hasMaliciousChild=false across 10 inspected hashes.
- YARAify, CIRCL, and MalwareBazaar returned no hits.
- Sandbox telemetry mapped offensive techniques T1003, T1055, and T1485.
- A direct connection to 18.207.85.246 lacks a completed host-reputation check.
- The file has limited prevalence with 2 unique sources and 3 submissions.
- All 10 inspected child hashes have unknown individual verdicts.
Keep endpoint protection enabled and use an updated, sandboxed PDF reader. Verify the document's source before opening it on a system containing sensitive credentials or data.
Coverage & freshness
Complete means the check returned a usable result. It does not mean the file is safe.
Antivirus
Complete0 of 75 engines flagged the file.
Sandbox
Complete1 isolated runtime environment contributed observations.
Network
Partial1 runtime contact was observed without a completed reputation cross-check.
YARA
Complete3 signature or behavior rules matched.
External intel
Complete3 of 3 independent reference sources completed.
Behavior
Plain-English impact first, then the observed runtime evidence.
Runtime flight recorder
Capture complete- 1isolated sandbox run
- 12MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- 9spawned processes
- 1network contacts
- 28filesystem & mutex artifacts
What this file does
Observed actions and their security significance
High concern: Accessed operating-system credential data, which can expose saved passwords.
High concern: Injected code into another process, a technique that can conceal execution.
Moderate concern: Communicated over a common application protocol; malware can use this for command-and-control.
Note: Collects details about your system.
These are observed capabilities from an isolated analysis. A technique does not prove malicious intent on its own, and the file never ran on your device.
Attack story
Runtime observations grouped by analysis stage. Arrows organize the stages; they do not claim chronology or causality.
Input file
The submitted object
- FileObserved
Robert C. Koons, Timothy Pickavance, Metaphysics, The Fundamentals.pdf
fc3ff04e748c666d16eb71ee34c551dc97da573b42110dac6f93df33e01aee46
01Uploaded file
Processes
Runtime execution
- ProcessObserved
Observed process
"C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Adobe Crash Processor.exe"
02Isolated runtime analysis - ProcessObserved
Observed process
C:\Windows\system32\services.exe
03Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Files
Created or changed
- Written fileObserved
acroNGLLog.txt
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\acroNGLLog.txt
04Isolated runtime analysis - Written fileObserved
NGLClient_AcrobatReader123.8.20533.6.log
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\NGL\NGLClient_AcrobatReader123.8.20533.6.log
05Isolated runtime analysis - +1 more recorded observation in Analyst mode
Network
Hosts contacted
- Contacted hostObserved
18.207.85.246
Contact observed during runtime.
06Isolated runtime analysis
6 recorded facts from one runtime window. Every fact remains independently traceable in Analyst mode.
What this file did when executed
This file was detonated in 1 sandbox and its runtime behaviour was observed.
Adversary techniques mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
- 18.207.85.246
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\acroNGLLog.txt
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\NGL\NGLClient_AcrobatReader123.8.20533.6.log
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\A9kfl8qy_vces47_4do.tmp
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\SOPHIA\Reader\SOPHIA.json
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\SOPHIA\Reader\Files\TESTING
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\JSCache\GlobSettings
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\SOPHIA\Reader\Files\DC_READER_LAUNCH_CARD
- C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Adobe\Acrobat\DC\SOPHIA\Reader\Files\ACROBAT_READER_MASTER_SURFACEID
- Global\AdobeCrashProcessorLocalLowLock
- Local\ZonesCacheCounterMutex
- Local\ZonesLockedCacheCounterMutex
- Local\Acrobat Instance Mutex
- Global\_MSIExecute
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 10 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache.
- 1fb6139c0c57afac235e…0959dcNever scannednever seen before
- 610bd324afb0f74bf298…54abb5Never scannednever seen before
- ad27039abac3252c3b39…37ede5Never scannednever seen before
- bc9fee887f6d091cb088…381e5bNever scannednever seen before
- 81ff65efc4487853bdb4…7c8e06Never scannednever seen before
- d9ec265219ab78d1e792…9256daNever scannednever seen before
- b3649951e27b98181300…2b2703Never scannednever seen before
- e3b0c44298fc1c149afb…52b855Never scannednever seen before
- 0dd9ed8d4b456bff77e2…655555Never scannednever seen before
- dab95996d8905bb54a8d…53b62dNever scannednever seen before
Detection & Forensics
Consensus, attribution, signatures, code structure, prevalence, and identity.
Evidence integrity
Chain of custody for the facts preserved in this report.
- 3rule hits recorded
- 0 / 75engines flagged
- 2sources in submission history
Why these facts are shown
Each statement identifies whether it was directly recorded or derived from saved scan facts.
- 01
1 high-confidence signature or behavior rule matched this file.
Verdict inputView chapterProvenanceDerivedSourceSignature and behavior rulesObserved at - 02
0 of 75 antivirus engines flagged the file.
ProvenanceObservedSourceAntivirus analysisObserved at - 03
The hash has been submitted 3 times from 2 sources.
ProvenanceDerivedSourceSaved report factsObserved at - 04
Scanned file: Robert C. Koons, Timothy Pickavance, Metaphysics, The Fundamentals.pdf — fc3ff04e748c666d16eb71ee34c551dc97da573b42110dac6f93df33e01aee46
ProvenanceObservedSourceUploaded fileObserved at - 05
Observed process — "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Adobe Crash Processor.exe"
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 06
Observed process — C:\Windows\system32\services.exe
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 07
File written: acroNGLLog.txt — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\acroNGLLog.txt
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 08
File written: NGLClient_AcrobatReader123.8.20533.6.log — C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\NGL\NGLClient_AcrobatReader123.8.20533.6.log
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at - 09
Contacted host: 18.207.85.246 — Contact observed during runtime.
ProvenanceObservedSourceIsolated runtime analysisObserved at
Detection sources at a glance
The available sources did not agree on a named threat category.
MalwareBazaar, YARAify, and CIRCL hashlookup completed and returned no entries for this hash.
Signatures and behavior heuristics
A community signature or high-severity behavioral heuristic matched. Signatures identify known patterns; heuristics are strong leads but are not proof on their own.
The saved runtime evidence maps this activity to MITRE T1055 (Process Injection). The mapping supports possible process injection, but it does not prove the exact injection method or the operator's intent.
Evidence"C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat DC\Acrobat\Adobe Crash Processor.exe"MITRE T1003 (OS Credential Dumping) mapped by at least one sandbox run.
The sample contacted an external IP address directly and no application domain was recorded. Direct-IP traffic also occurs in legitimate installers and infrastructure, so this is supporting context only and requires corroboration from host reputation and other runtime evidence.
Evidence18.207.85.246
0 of 75 engines flagged this file
View all 75 engine results
PE structure
Not applicablePE structure analysis applies to Windows executable formats, not this file type.
How widely this file has been seen
Rarely uploaded, but has been around for a while. Often niche legitimate software or old internal tooling; not a strong malware signal on its own.
Fingerprint and provenance
- File name
- Robert C. Koons, Timothy Pickavance, Metaphysics, The Fundamentals.pdf
- Format
- Code signing
- Not applicable to this file type
- Size
- 1.4 MB
- Last analyzed
- Sep 16, 2026, 4:37 AM UTC
fc3ff04e748c666d16eb71ee34c551dc97da573b42110dac6f93df33e01aee46Safety & FAQ
Complete recovery guidance and answers for the next decision.
What to do now
We couldn't fully clear this file. Treat it with caution.
- Recovery step 01
Don't open it unless you're certain it came from a source you trust.
- Recovery step 02
Check where you got it — an unexpected attachment or a random download link is a red flag.
- Recovery step 03
If its origin cannot be confirmed, delete this file and use a fresh copy from a trusted source. Get a fresh copy from the original trusted source and verify its exact hash when possible.
- Recovery step 04
If you're still unsure, scan it again in a day or two — detections often catch up on newer files.
Safety FAQ
Direct answers grounded in the saved verdict and evidence in this report.
Is this file safe, or is it malware?
What is this file?
How many antivirus engines detected this file?
What should I do if I already opened this file?
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How up to date is this analysis of this file?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.