VBA and P-code - SANS Internet Storm Center

VBA and P-code
I want to draw your attention to some great work Dr. Bontchev did. pcodedmp.py is a VBA P-code disassembler. Microsoft Office documents contain VBA macros in several forms. They contain the source code, but also compiled P-code. Dr. Bontchev created a proof-of-concept document that executes P-code and does not contain the corresponding source code. Here is the output from his pcodedmp.py tool for his PoC document: `python pcodedmp.py -d poc2b.doc Processing file: poc2b.doc =============================================================================== Module streams: Macros/VBA/ThisDocument - 1949 bytes Line #0: FuncDefn (Sub / Property Set) func_00000078 Line #1: LitStr 0x001D "This could have been a virus!" Ld vbInformation Ld vbOKOnly Add LitStr 0x0006 "Virus!" ArgsCall MsgBox 0x0003 Line #2: LitStr 0x0008 "calc.exe" Paren ArgsCall Shell 0x0001 Line #3: EndSub` Dr. Bontchev also coded a plugin for oledump. Didier Stevens Microsoft MVP Consumer Security blog.DidierStevens.com DidierStevensLabs.com	DidierStevens 639 Posts ISC Handler Sep 26th 2016
Thread locked Subscribe	Sep 26th 2016 5 years ago
Do you know if the AV vendors tend to scan for Malware/Viruses based on Source of P-code content ?	Anonymous
Quote	Sep 27th 2016 5 years ago
sorry, should have been "Source OR P-Code content ?"	Anonymous
Quote	Sep 27th 2016 5 years ago
From the few tests that I did, I say source code.	DidierStevens 639 Posts ISC Handler
Quote	Sep 27th 2016 5 years ago

I want to draw your attention to some great work Dr. Bontchev did.

pcodedmp.py is a VBA P-code disassembler. Microsoft Office documents contain VBA macros in several forms. They contain the source code, but also compiled P-code. Dr. Bontchev created a proof-of-concept document that executes P-code and does not contain the corresponding source code. Here is the output from his pcodedmp.py tool for his PoC document:

python pcodedmp.py -d poc2b.doc

Processing file: poc2b.doc
===============================================================================
Module streams:
Macros/VBA/ThisDocument - 1949 bytes
Line #0:
        FuncDefn (Sub / Property Set) func_00000078
Line #1:
        LitStr 0x001D "This could have been a virus!"
        Ld vbInformation
        Ld vbOKOnly
        Add
        LitStr 0x0006 "Virus!"
        ArgsCall MsgBox 0x0003
Line #2:
        LitStr 0x0008 "calc.exe"
        Paren
        ArgsCall Shell 0x0001
Line #3:
        EndSub

Dr. Bontchev also coded a plugin for oledump.

Didier Stevens
Microsoft MVP Consumer Security
blog.DidierStevens.com DidierStevensLabs.com

DidierStevens