VB Blog

VB2018 paper: Fake News, Inc.

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Apr 25, 2019

A former reporter by profession, Andrew Brandt's curiosity was piqued when he came across what appeared at first glance to be the website of a small-town newspaper based in Illinois, but under scrutiny, things didn’t add up. At VB2018 he presented a paper in which he shared the results of his investigation of the site. Today, we publish his paper and the recording of his presentation.

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Paper: Alternative communication channel over NTP

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 24, 2019

In a new paper published today, independent researcher Nikolaos Tsapakis writes about the possibilities of malware using NTP as a covert communication channel and how to stop this.

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VB2019 conference programme announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 5, 2019

VB is excited to reveal the details of an interesting and diverse programme for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, which takes place 2-4 October in London, UK.

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VB2018 paper: Under the hood - the automotive challenge

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 27, 2019

Car hacking has become a hot subject in recent years, and at VB2018 in Montreal, Argus Cyber Security's Inbar Raz presented a paper that provides an introduction to the subject, looking at the complex problem, examples of car hacks, and the challenges ahead. Today, we publish both Inbar's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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VB2018 paper and video: Android app deobfuscation using static-dynamic cooperation

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 20, 2019

Static analysis and dynamic analysis each have their shortcomings as methods for analysing potentially malicious files. Today, we publish a VB2018 paper by Check Point researchers Yoni Moses and Yaniv Mordekhay, in which they describe a method that combines static and dynamic analysis to defeat app obfuscation in Android binaries. We also publish the video of their presentation.

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VB2019 call for papers closes this weekend

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 15, 2019

The call for papers for VB2019 closes on 17 March, and while we've already received many great submissions, we still want more!

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Registration open for VB2019 ─ book your ticket now!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 13, 2019

Registration for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, is now open, with an early bird rate available until 1 July.

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The VB2019 call for papers is about ... papers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 8, 2019

When we are calling for papers for the Virus Bulletin conference as we are doing now, we really mean a written paper. But don't worry if you've never written a paper - we can help!

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VB2018 video: Adware is just malware with a legal department - how we reverse engineered OSX/Pirrit, received legal threats, and survived

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 8, 2019

Amit Serper first analysed the OSX/Pirrit adware in 2016, highlighting some of its malware-like techniques, and soon afterwards started receiving legal threats from the company behind it. At VB2018 Amit gave a presentation in which he discussed both the adware and the legal threats he received for calling it malware. Today, we publish the video of Amit's presentation.

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VB2018 paper: Anatomy of an attack: detecting and defeating CRASHOVERRIDE

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 5, 2019

In December 2016, the CRASHOVERRIDE malware framework was used to cause a blackout in Ukraine. At VB2018 in Montreal, Dragos researcher Joe Slowik presented a detailed paper on the framework, explaining how the malware works and how it targets various protocols used to operate the electric grid. Today we publish both Joe's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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You are your own threat model

For most people, the biggest security threat is that of themselves doing something they shouldn't do.
For most people, the biggest security threat is that of themselves doing something they shouldn't do. Last week, Microsoft wrote about the return of macro malware where, now that… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/05/you-are-your-own-threat-model/

May

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/05/

Report: six anti-virus solutions pass annual Linux test

Clean sweep of passes in VB100 test on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Clean sweep of passes in VB100 test on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. 2015 will yet again not be the 'Year of the Linux Desktop', yet behind the scenes' Linux plays an important role in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/05/report-six-anti-virus-solutions-pass-annual-linux-test/

Throwback Thursday: Regina v Christopher Pile: The Inside Story & Off with his Head!

This Throwback Thursday, we bring you not one but two (related) pieces from the archives as VB heads back to 1996 to look at events surrounding the issuing of the UK's first custodial sentence for writing and distributing computer viruses.
This Throwback Thursday, we bring you not one but two (related) pieces from the archives as VB heads back to 1996 to look at events surrounding the issuing of the UK's first… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/throwback-thursday-regina-v-christopher-pile-inside-story-amp-his-head/

POODLE is the brown M&Ms of security

Just because it won't be exploited, doesn't mean you shouldn't patch it.
Just because it won't be exploited, doesn't mean you shouldn't patch it. There is a famous story about the rock band Van Halen whose lists of requirements when performing a show… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/poodle-brown-m-amp-ms-security/

Report: 15 solutions achieve VBSpam award

Test process also uncovers job spam illustrative of trend.
Test process also uncovers job spam illustrative of trend. Last week, we published our 36th comparative anti-spam test. All but one of the 16 participating full solutions achieved… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/report-15-solutions-achieve-vbspam-award/

Throwback Thursday: Through the Administrator's Eye

This Throwback Thursday, VB heads back to 1997 with 'Through the Administrator's Eye'.
This Throwback Thursday, VB heads back to 1997 with 'Through the Administrator's Eye'. Over the last couple of years, the 'Throwback Thursday' trend has taken the Internet by… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/throwback-thursday-through-administrator-s-eye/

VB2015 offer for new security companies

Write an article for the Bulletin, get a half-price ticket for the conference.
Write an article for the Bulletin, get a half-price ticket for the conference. Things are going well for the security industry. That may, of course, be because of the poor state of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/offer-new-security-companies/

Registration for VB2015 has opened

Early bird discounts available for registrations made before 30 June.
Early bird discounts available for registrations made before 30 June. Today, we have opened registration for VB2015, the 25th Virus Bulletin International Conference. 'VB' is… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/registration-has-opened/

Ross Anderson awarded BCS Lovelace Medal

Cambridge professor to deliver VB2015 keynote.
Cambridge professor to deliver VB2015 keynote. Yesterday, the British Computer Society (BCS) announced that the 2015 Lovelace Medal has been awarded to Prof. Ross Anderson. Named… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/ross-anderson-awarded-bcs-lovelace-medal/

Throwback Thursday: The Unbearable Lightness of Testing

VB gets in on the Throwback Thursday act, delving into the archives.
VB gets in on the Throwback Thursday act, delving into the archives. Over the last couple of years, the 'Throwback Thursday' trend has taken the Internet by storm, with social… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/throwback-thursday-unbearable-lightness-testing/

Does it matter if my banking password is 'Prague'?

Users do choose weak passwords, but they aren't as big a problem as we think.
Users do choose weak passwords, but they aren't as big a problem as we think. This week, I spent a few days at the Cyber Security Summit Financial Services conference in Prague,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/does-it-matter-if-my-banking-password-prague/

Google 'suspends' CNNIC from Chrome's certificate store

Chinese certificate authority told to re-apply.
Chinese certificate authority told to re-apply. When a web client, such as a browser, attempts to make an HTTPS connection, it needs to know that no man-in-the-middle attack is… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/google-suspends-cnnic-chrome-s-certificate-store/

Volatile Cedar campaign - cyber espionage isn't just for large nation states

Details of malware to be discussed at VB2015.
Details of malware to be discussed at VB2015. Researchers at Check Point have revealed details of a cyber-espionage campaign, dubbed 'Volatile Cedar', that has been active since at… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/volatile-cedar-campaign-cyber-espionage-isn-t-just-large-nation-states/

VB2014 paper: Swipe away, we're watching you

Hong Kei Chan and Liang Huang describe the various aspects and the evolution of point-of-sale malware.
Hong Kei Chan and Liang Huang describe the various aspects and the evolution of point-of-sale malware.Since the close of the VB2014 conference in Seattle in October, we have been… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/paper-swipe-away-we-re-watching-you/

Virus Bulletin announces two VB2015 keynotes

Ross Anderson and Costin Raiu to deliver keynote addresses at 25th Virus Bulletin conference.
Ross Anderson and Costin Raiu to deliver keynote addresses at 25th Virus Bulletin conference. Two days after we published the programme for VB2015, we are excited to announce that… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/announces-two-keynotes/

April

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/04/

VB2015 conference programme announced

From drones to elephants: an exciting range of topics will be covered in Prague.
From drones to elephants: an exciting range of topics will be covered in Prague. In six months' time, security researchers from around the world will gather in Prague for the 25th… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/03/conference-programme-announced/

Paper: a timeline of mobile botnets

Ruchna Nigam provides an overview of more than 60 mobile malware families.
Ruchna Nigam provides an overview of more than 60 mobile malware families. The rise of mobile malware is still a relatively recent thing, with the first actual mobile botnets not… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/03/paper-timeline-mobile-botnets/

Paper: Dylib hijacking on OS X

Patrick Wardle shows how OS X is also vulnerable to once common Windows attacks.
Patrick Wardle shows how OS X is also vulnerable to once common Windows attacks. A few years ago, DLL hijacking on Windows was really hot, despite the fact that the concept had… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/03/paper-dylib-hijacking-os-x/

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