Embedded PE reassembled from base64 VBA string fragments

OLE_VBA_EMBEDDED_PE_DROPPER

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critical OLE_VBA_EMBEDDED_PE_DROPPER

What it means

VBA carries a base64-encoded EXE split across many string variables and rebuilds it at run time (ADODB.Stream drop-and-run).

Why it fires

The VBA macro stores a base64-encoded Windows executable split across many string variables and reassembles it at run time — typically writing it to %TEMP% with ADODB.Stream (often via embedded JScript glue using MSXML2.DOMDocument.nodeTypedValue) and executing it. The payload is embedded in the document, not downloaded, and never appears as a contiguous executable on disk, so URL recovery and the raw embedded-EXE scan both miss it. The analyzer concatenates the macro's base64 runs, decodes at each base64 phase alignment, and confirms a valid PE (MZ + DOS stub + PE header, or process-injection imports). A benign macro does not carry an executable across its string literals, so the match is near-zero-FP; the reassembled PE is carved for full extracted-file (ClamAV + static triage) analysis.

Other Office heuristics

OLE_VBA_AFFINE_MSI_DOWNLOADER OLE_VBA_AUTOEXEC_FRAGMENTED_SHELL OLE_VBA_DESTRUCTIVE_WORKBOOK_SHUTDOWN OLE_VBA_BIDIRECTIONAL_MACROCOPY_REPLICATION OOXML_BRAND_LINK_MISMATCH_LURE CVE_2016_7262 POLYGLOT_OOXML_REL_COMMAND OLE_RAW_PCODE_CROSS_DOCUMENT_REPLICATION OLE_VBA_CROSS_WORKBOOK_REPLICATION OOXML_XLM_DANGEROUS_FN OFFICE_DEFAULT_PASSWORD_VBA_DROP_EXEC OFFICE_EMBEDDED_SWF EMBEDDED_OFFICE_CHILD_STATIC_TRIAGE OFFICE_EMBEDDED_MACRO_OBJECT OLE_EMBEDDED_EXE OLE_ENCRYPTED_AND_MALFORMED CVE_2017_11882_EQUATION_NATIVE_CMD_RELATED CVE_2017_11882 OLE_EQUATION_OLE10NATIVE_DOWNLOADER OLE_MTEF_NATIVE_CODE_STUB OLE_EQUATION_OLE10NATIVE_SHELLCODE OOXML_XLM_MACRO_IN_WORKSHEET OLE_XLS5_LAROUX_MACRO_VIRUS OLE_VBA_XLSTART_WORKBOOK_PERSISTENCE