February issue of VB published

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Feb 1, 2014

The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.

The February 2014 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download in PDF or PRC (Kindle) format.

Some of the things this month's issue has in store are:

• It is time for defenders to go on the offence: 'Challenge [defenders] to take a penetration testing or exploit development class.' Andreas Lindh

• Getting one's hands dirty: Cross-platform execution is one of the promises of Java - but cross-platform infection is probably not what the designers had in mind. Nevertheless, it was clearly in the mind of the author of W32/Java.Grimy, a virus for the Windows platform, which infects Java class files. Peter Ferrie has the details.

• Salted algorithm - part 2: Sality has been around for many years, yet it is still one of today's most prevalent pieces of malware. Last month, Raul Alvarez described Sality's algorithm, showing the strengths of its encryption, how it uses the stack as temporary memory for code manipulation, and some of its system configuration manipulation. In this follow up article, he continues to discuss some of the threads spawned by Sality.

• Inside W32.Xpaj.B's infection - part 2: Xpaj.B is one of the most complex and sophisticated file infectors in the world. It is difficult to detect, disinfect and analyse. In a two-part article, Liang Yuan provides a deep analysis of its infection.

• Needle in a haystack: Sometimes what looks like a genuine MP3 encoder library, and even works as a functional encoder, actually hides malicious code deep amongst a pile of clean code. Gabor Szappanos reveals the lengths to which one piece of malware goes to hide its tracks.

• Greetz from academe: Full frontal: In the latest of his 'Greetz from Academe' series, highlighting some of the work going on in academic circles, John Aycock looks at a piece of research that reveals an anti-virus design vulnerability that leaves several of the major anti-virus products open to attack.

• Don't forget to write: Industry veteran, prolific writer and educator David Harley reviews two recent published eBooks that aim to provide security guidance for consumers: Improve Your Security by Sorin Mustaca, and One Parent to Another by Tony Anscombe.

Note: The February 2014 VB100 comparative review will be published at a later date. As with all new VB100 and VBSpam reviews, the report will be available for non-subscribers to purchase as a standalone item (Virus Bulletin subscribers will be notified by email when the comparative is available to download). Non-subscribers can purchase VB100 reports here and VBSpam reports here.

Subscribers click here to access the issue.

If you are not already a subscriber why not take the chance to subscribe now.

Posted on 03 February 2014 by Virus Bulletin

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