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Analyzing Malicious Pdf With Peepdf

  • 307 installs
  • 27.3k repo stars
  • Updated August 2, 2026
  • mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills

Analyzing Malicious PDF with peepdf is an agent skill that structures terminal-oriented peepdf triage of suspicious PDF files.

About

Analyzing Malicious PDF with peepdf is an agent skill for solo builders and small security-minded teams who need to understand what is inside a questionable PDF before trusting previews, storage, or automated parsers. It centers on peepdf as the inspection lens for PDF internals—streams, objects, and common abuse patterns—so your coding agent can suggest a disciplined triage path instead of double-clicking unknown attachments. Use it when validating file-upload features, debugging customer-reported phishing samples, or pairing agent assistance with hands-on malware homework in the Ship security phase. It does not replace a full sandbox or enterprise SOC stack; it compresses procedural knowledge so you know which peepdf-oriented steps to run and what to look for next. Expect integration-style guidance that assumes you will execute commands locally and interpret output critically.

  • Guides peepdf-based inspection of PDF structure, objects, and suspicious embedded content
  • Oriented toward malicious-PDF workflows rather than generic document editing
  • Fits security research and incident triage alongside other cybersecurity skills in the collection
  • Terminal-first analysis mindset for PDF-centric threats
  • Apache 2.0–licensed skill packaging from the anthropic-cybersecurity-skills bundle

Analyzing Malicious Pdf With Peepdf by the numbers

  • 307 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +20 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #631 of 2,203 Security skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills --skill analyzing-malicious-pdf-with-peepdf

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs307
repo stars27.3k
Security audit3 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedAugust 2, 2026
Repositorymukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills

What it does

Inspect suspicious PDF attachments with peepdf from the terminal when you need structured malware triage without opening files blindly.

Who is it for?

Best when you're hardening upload flows, doing security coursework, or triaging one-off malicious PDF samples with peepdf on a trusted lab machine.

Skip if: Skip if you need automated SOC pipelines, legal e-discovery, or analysis of non-PDF malware families without PDF-specific tooling.

When should I use this skill?

You have an untrusted PDF and need structured peepdf-oriented inspection steps for security triage.

What you get

You leave with a peepdf-focused inspection plan and clearer signals about whether the PDF warrants deeper sandbox analysis or quarantine.

  • Peepdf inspection command sequence
  • Notes on suspicious PDF objects or streams to escalate
  • Quarantine or sandbox recommendation

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Analyzing Malicious PDF with peepdf

When to Use

  • 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

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

1. Triage with pdfid: Scan PDF for suspicious keywords (/JS, /JavaScript, /OpenAction, /Launch, /EmbeddedFile). 2. Interactive Analysis: Open PDF in peepdf interactive mode to explore object structure. 3. Identify Suspicious Objects: Locate objects containing JavaScript, streams, or encoded data. 4. Extract Content: Dump suspicious streams and decode filters (FlateDecode, ASCIIHexDecode). 5. Deobfuscate JavaScript: Analyze extracted JS for shellcode, heap sprays, or exploit code. 6. Check VirusTotal: Use peepdf vtcheck to cross-reference file hash with AV detections. 7. Generate IOCs: Extract URLs, domains, hashes, and shellcode signatures.

Key Concepts

ConceptDescription
/OpenActionAutomatic action executed when PDF is opened
/JavaScript /JSEmbedded JavaScript code in PDF objects
/LaunchAction that launches external applications
/EmbeddedFileFile embedded within the PDF structure
FlateDecodezlib compression filter used to hide content
Object StreamsPDF objects stored in compressed streams

Tools & Systems

ToolPurpose
peepdf / peepdf-3Interactive PDF analysis with JS emulation
pdfid.pyQuick triage scanning for suspicious keywords
pdf-parser.pyDeep object-level PDF parsing
VirusTotalHash lookup and AV detection cross-reference
CyberChefDecode and transform extracted payloads

Output Format

Analysis Report: PDF-MAL-[DATE]-[SEQ]
File: [filename.pdf]
SHA-256: [hash]
Suspicious Keywords: [/JS, /OpenAction, etc.]
Objects with JavaScript: [Object IDs]
Extracted URLs: [List]
Shellcode Detected: [Yes/No]
Embedded Files: [Count and types]
VirusTotal Detections: [X/Y engines]
Risk Level: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]

Related skills

How it compares

Use for PDF-centric peepdf triage, not as a substitute for full browser E2E automation skills like Playwright CLI.

FAQ

Who is analyzing-malicious-pdf-with-peepdf for?

Developers, SaaS authors validating uploads, and learners doing hands-on malware document analysis who want agent-guided peepdf workflows.

When should I use analyzing-malicious-pdf-with-peepdf?

Use it in Ship security when triaging suspicious PDFs before launch, after a phishing report, or while building parsers that must reject weaponized documents.

Is analyzing-malicious-pdf-with-peepdf safe to install?

Treat samples as hazardous; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and only analyze untrusted files in isolated lab environments you control.

Securityappsecaudit

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