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The virus, which was first discovered by Virus specialist Network Associates on 7 August, utilises a security hole opened by the ability of PDFs to have Visual Basic Scripts (VBS) embedded in them. VBS is a Microsoft scripting and programming language that has become a common method of writing viruses.

Normally, VBS-based viruses are delivered via a disguised email attachment, but the new virus - called 'Peachy' by its author -

According to an Adobe spokesperson, Peachy only becomes active when the PDF is opened using the full version of Acrobat, rather than Acrobat Reader. However, because Acrobat allows users to embed virtually any file type within a PDF document, it is clear that malicious virus writers could exploit the file format further in the future.

In a posting on his Web site, the author of the virus, known only as Zulu, noted that Peachy was "designed to be a proof of concept, [with] bad spreading capabilities", rather than a malicious virus. He also noted that there were other methods to utilise PDF, including embedding JavaScript - a method that could potentially be used for a fully cross-platform virus, although one with limited capabilities.