VB Blog

Alleged author of creepy FruitFly macOS malware arrested

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 11, 2018

A 28-year old man from Ohio has been arrested on suspicion of having created the mysterious FruitFly malware that targeted macOS and used it to spy on its victims.

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The threat and security product landscape in 2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 10, 2018

At the start of the new year, Virus Bulletin looks back at the threats seen in the 2017 and at the security products that are available to help mitigate them.

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Spamhaus report shows many botnet controllers look a lot like legitimate servers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 9, 2018

Spamhaus's annual report on botnet activity shows that botherders tend to use popular, legitimate hosting providers, domain registrars and top-level domains when setting up command-and-control servers.

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Tips on researching tech support scams

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 5, 2018

As tech support scammers continue to target the computer illiterate through cold calling, VB's Martijn Grooten uses his own experience to share some advice on how to investigate such scams.

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Meltdown and Spectre attacks mitigated by operating system updates

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 4, 2018

Just four days into the new year, two serious attacks in modern processors, dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, have been discovered. The attacks can be mitigated by patches to the operating system, but anti-virus software vendors need to make sure their products are compatible with the patches.

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Conference review: AVAR 2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 22, 2017

Martijn Grooten reports on the 20th AVAR conference, which took place earlier in December in Beijing, China.

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Conference review: Botconf 2017

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Dec 22, 2017

Virus Bulletin researchers report back from a very interesting fifth edition of Botconf, the botnet fighting conference.

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VB2017 videos on attacks against Ukraine

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 21, 2017

(In)security is a global issue that affects countries around the world, but in recent years none has been so badly hit as Ukraine. Today, we publish the videos of two VB2017 talks about attacks that hit Ukraine particularly badly: a talk by Alexander Adamov (NioGuard) on (Not)Petya and related attacks, and another by Robert Lipovsky and Anton Cherepanov (ESET) on Industroyer.

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Facebook helps you determine whether emails really came from its servers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 21, 2017

On its website, Facebook now shows which emails it has sent you recently, thus helping you to determine which emails are real, and which should be discarded as phishing.

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Vulnerability disclosure and botnet takedown not to be hindered by Wassenaar Arrangement

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 19, 2017

Clarification in the language of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral export control regime for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies, means those involved in vulnerability disclosure or botnet takedown won't have to worry about acquiring an export licence.

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Latest VBSpam tests show web host spam harder to block

Most filters see a small increase in their catch rates overall.
Most filters see a small increase in their catch rates overall. The results of VB's latest spam filter test show that the spam sent from web hosts is significantly harder to block… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/06/latest-vbspam-tests-show-web-host-spam-harder-block/

June issue of VB published

The June issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The June issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The June 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/06/june-issue-vb-published/

May issue of VB published

The May issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The May issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The May 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/05/may-issue-vb-published/

VB2013 programme announced

Exciting range of topics to be covered at VB conference in Berlin this October.
Exciting range of topics to be covered at VB conference in Berlin this October. The VB conference selection committee have been busily assessing more than 150 proposals submitted… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/04/programme-announced/

April issue of VB published

The April issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The April issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The April 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/04/april-issue-vb-published/

Catch rates drop in latest VBSpam tests

Spam more of a challenge for majority of products.
Spam more of a challenge for majority of products. The results of VB's latest spam filter test show that spam has become more difficult to filter - with 15 of the 19 products… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/03/catch-rates-drop-latest-vbspam-tests/

March issue of VB published

The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The March 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/03/march-issue-vb-published/

Impressive results in latest VBSpam test

Excellent performances in spam filter test - plus evidence of a correlation between spam 'passing' SPF and an increased delivery rate.
Excellent performances in spam filter test - plus evidence of a correlation between spam 'passing' SPF and an increased delivery rate. No fewer than ten anti-spam solutions… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/impressive-results-latest-vbspam-test/

February issue of VB published

The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The February 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/february-issue-vb-published/

VB2014 - location, location, location

Cat escapes bag as details of VB2014 conference are announced.
Cat escapes bag as details of VB2014 conference are announced. Keeping shtum about the dates and details for VB2014 - the 24th Virus Bulletin International Conference - has not… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/location-location-location/

January issue of VB published

The January issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The January issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The January 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/january-issue-vb-published/

December issue of VB published

The December issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The December issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The December 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/12/december-issue-vb-published/

Virus Bulletin announces VBWeb tests for web filters

Regular comparative tests will show which products offer best protection from malicious web traffic.
Regular comparative tests will show which products offer best protection from malicious web traffic. Just as security companies can't afford to neglect the major infection vector… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/11/announces-vbweb-tests-web-filters/

Latest spam filter test shows spam catch rates have bounced back

Spam catch rates improve, but performance on phishing lags behind that on other spam.
Spam catch rates improve, but performance on phishing lags behind that on other spam. Earlier this week we published the results of the 22nd VBSpam comparative spam filter test,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/11/latest-spam-filter-test-shows-spam-catch-rates-have-bounced-back/

November issue of VB published

The November issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The November issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The November 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/11/november-issue-vb-published/

VGrep: the rose revived

Virus Bulletin relaunches anti-malware name matching tool.
Virus Bulletin relaunches anti-malware name matching tool. 'That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet.' So wrote Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. And anyone… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/10/vgrep-rose-revived/

October issue of VB published

The October issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The October issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The October 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/10/october-issue-vb-published/

September issue of VB published

The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The September 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/09/september-issue-vb-published/

August issue of VB published

The August issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The August issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The August 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/08/august-issue-vb-published/

Latest VBSpam test results show drop in spam catch rates again

Downward trend in performance continues.
Downward trend in performance continues. In the latest VBSpam comparative test of anti-spam products, 21 anti-spam solutions achieved a VBSpam award, but for the majority of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/07/latest-vbspam-test-results-show-drop-spam-catch-rates-again/

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