Why all the care needed with PDF converter tools? What's the worry?

In our consulting practice we have seen a marked increase over the past year in pdf converter applications being quarantined as hazardous. Free converter tools like Docu-Flex and pdfixers have been found to carry malicious payloads. Effectively these websites either offer to convert free online, or offer software to be downloaded and installed.

And while the software might actually function, it has been found that when they run, they may download malicious software to the device, or redirect the user to malicious websites which feed malware to the workstation, such as ransomware. PDF converters are not the only systems which do this…malicious photo editing software and audio converters do the same thing.

The normal precautions apply:

• Is it business-critical? If so, your business should provide approved software

• do more than just review-check when researching software

• If software seems interesting, be sure to have your IT team review it before installing

For more info from BleepingComputer.com: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-warnings-are-true-fake-file-converters-do-push-malware/

From Denver FBI office: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/denver/news/fbi-denver-warns-of-online-file-converter-scam