VB Blog

VB2017 preview: Calling all PUA fighters

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 31, 2017

We preview the VB2017 Small Talk to be given by AppEsteem's Dennis Batchelder that should help security vendors make decisions about apps whose behaviours sit right on the limits of what is acceptable from a security point of view.

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VB2017 preview: From insider threat to insider asset: a practical guide

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 30, 2017

We preview the VB2017 paper by Forcepoint's Kristin Leary and Richard Ford, who will discuss a practical approach to preventing insider attacks.

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WireX DDoS botnet takedown shows the best side of the security industry

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 29, 2017

Collaboration between a number of security companies has led to the takedown of the WireX Android DDoS botnet. Efforts like these, and the fact that the companies involved all decided to publish the very same blog post, show the best side of the security industry.

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VB2017 preview: Your role in child abuse

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 28, 2017

We preview the VB2017 presentation by Mick Moran, who will discuss online child abuse and the role the security community can play fighting it.

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ROPEMAKER email exploit is of limited practical use

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 28, 2017

Researchers at Mimecast have published a paper about the 'ROPEMAKER' exploit, which allows an email sender with malicious intentions to change the visial appearance of an email after it has been delivered.

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VB2017 preview: Mariachis and jackpotting: ATM malware from Latin America

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 25, 2017

We preview the VB2017 presentation by Kaspersky Lab researchers Thiago Marques and Fabio Assolini in which they look at malware targeting ATMs in Latin America.

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VB2017 preview: Stuck between a ROC and a hard place

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 24, 2017

We preview the VB2017 paper by Microsoft's Holly Stewart and Joe Blackbird, which uses data about users switching anti-virus provider to decide whether machine-learning models should favour avoiding false positives over false negatives.

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VB2017 preview: Consequences of bad security in health care

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 23, 2017

We preview the VB2017 presentation by Jelena Milosevic, an ICU nurse by profession, who will provide the audience with an inside view of security in hospitals.

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VB2017 Small Talk: The encryption vs. inspection debate

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Aug 22, 2017

At VB2017, Cloudflare's Head of Cryptography Nick Sullivan will give a Small Talk on the intercepting of HTTPS connections by proxies and anti-virus software.

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Throwback Thursday: Ten memorable Virus Bulletin conference presentations - part 2

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Aug 10, 2017

In the second part of this two-part blog series, we look at five more memorable Virus Bulletin conference presentations.

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VirusTotal project aims to remediate false positives

Security vendors to receive alerts when legitimate files are detected as malicious.
Security vendors to receive alerts when legitimate files are detected as malicious.False positives are a huge problem for the IT industry in general and for security products in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/virustotal-project-aims-remediate-false-positives/

VB2014 paper: P0wned by a barcode: stealing money from offline users

Fabio Assolini explains how cybercriminals are targeting boletos.
Fabio Assolini explains how cybercriminals are targeting boletos.Since the close of the VB2014 conference in Seattle in October, we have been sharing VB2014 conference papers as… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/paper-p0wned-barcode-stealing-money-offline-users/

Adobe issues patch for yet another Flash Player zero-day

CVE-2015-0313 used in the wild as long ago as December.
CVE-2015-0313 used in the wild as long ago as December. Adobe has just issued an out-of-band patch for its Flash Player to fix a zero-day vulnerability that is actively being… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/adobe-issues-patch-yet-another-flash-player-zero-day/

VB2014 paper: We know it before you do: predicting malicious domains

Wei Xu and his colleagues attempt to block domains before they're used for bad purposes.
Wei Xu and his colleagues attempt to block domains before they're used for bad purposes.Since the close of the VB2014 conference in Seattle in October, we have been sharing VB2014… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/paper-we-know-it-you-do-predicting-malicious-domains/

Praise for the unsung heroes of email

Many decent performances in VB's latest comparative spam filter test.
Many decent performances in VB's latest comparative spam filter test. A decade ago, there were optimists who thought that the spam problem would soon be eradicated. At the same… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/praise-unsung-heroes-email/

Low VirusTotal detection rates for new malware, do they matter?

It is not as important as is often suggested — and doesn't mean the malware is allowed to execute.
It is not as important as is often suggested — and doesn't mean the malware is allowed to execute. It is fairly common these days for security researchers to write about new… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/low-virustotal-detection-rates-new-malware-do-they-matter/

From roadie to security rock star: it can happen

To break into security, start by getting a job in the industry.
To break into security, start by getting a job in the industry. You don't have to be a regular reader of this blog to know that computer security is very important in our… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/roadie-security-rock-star-it-can-happen/

'RansomWeb' ransomware targets companies' databases

Encryption first added as a patch, key only removed when all backups are encrypted.
Encryption first added as a patch, key only removed when all backups are encrypted. Make backups, they said. Then you won't have to worry about ransomware, they said. Ransomware… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/ransomweb-ransomware-targets-companies-databases/

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Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/02/

VB2014 paper: Ubiquitous Flash, ubiquitous exploits and ubiquitous mitigation

Chun Feng and Elia Florio analyse two Flash Player vulnerabilities and an IE one where Flash provides a helping hand.
Chun Feng and Elia Florio analyse two Flash Player vulnerabilities and an IE one where Flash provides a helping hand.Since the close of the VB2014 conference in Seattle in October,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/paper-ubiquitous-flash-ubiquitous-exploits-and-ubiquitous-mitigation/

Frequently asked questions about VB2015 conference submissions

No, it doesn't have to be about malware and no, it doesn't have to be deeply technical either!
No, it doesn't have to be about malware and no, it doesn't have to be deeply technical either! Last month, we opened the call for papers for VB2015, the 25th Virus Bulletin… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/frequently-asked-questions-about-conference-submissions/

Linux systems affected by 'GHOST' vulnerability

Proof-of-concept email gives remote access to Exim mail server.
Proof-of-concept email gives remote access to Exim mail server. If you administer Linux-based systems, you'd better schedule some time for patching, as a serious buffer overflow… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/linux-systems-affected-ghost-vulnerability/

VB2014 paper: Design to discover: security analytics with 3D visualization engine

Thibault Reuille and Dhia Mahjoub use DNS data to look for clusters of malicious domains.
Thibault Reuille and Dhia Mahjoub use DNS data to look for clusters of malicious domains.Since the close of the VB2014 conference in Seattle in October, we have been sharing VB2014… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/paper-design-discover-security-analytics-3d-visualization-engine/

Adobe to patch Flash Player zero-day next week

Patch due next week as malvertising leads to Bedep trojan downloader.
Patch due next week as malvertising leads to Bedep trojan downloader. As the news of a zero-day vulnerability in Adobe's Flash Player actively being exploited reached the security… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/adobe-patch-flash-player-zero-day-next-week/

Alleged Flash Player zero-day used in Angler exploit kit

Adobe 'investigating reports'.
Adobe 'investigating reports'.Vulnerable browser plug-ins are one of the most important infection vectors, which is why it is so important to keep them up to date. If you don't,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/alleged-flash-player-zero-day-used-angler-exploit-kit/

Research paper profiles victims of targeted attacks

Large organisations working in national security and international affairs run highest risk.
Large organisations working in national security and international affairs run highest risk. Anyone can be a target of cybercriminal attacks these days. But some are bigger targets… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/research-paper-profiles-victims-targeted-attacks/

Paper: Nesting doll: unwrapping Vawtrak

Raul Alvarez unwraps the many layers of an increasingly prevalent banking trojan.
Raul Alvarez unwraps the many layers of an increasingly prevalent banking trojan. Banking trojans remain one of the most prevalent kinds of malware. Among them, trojans based on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/paper-nesting-doll-unwrapping-vawtrak/

VB2014 paper: OPSEC for security researchers

Vicente Diaz teaches researchers the basics of OPSEC.
Vicente Diaz teaches researchers the basics of OPSEC.Since the close of the VB2014 conference in Seattle in October, we have been sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/paper-opsec-security-researchers/

WhatsApp spam on the rise

End-to-end encryption makes spam filtering more difficult.
End-to-end encryption makes spam filtering more difficult. Spam sent through the WhatsApp messaging service is on the rise, mobile security firm AdaptiveMobile reports. This news… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/whatsapp-spam-rise/

What would Cameron's 'anti-terrorism' proposals mean for the UK?

Proposals could cause serious damage to business and the economy, and are unlikely to stop terrorism.
Proposals could cause serious damage to business and the economy, and are unlikely to stop terrorism. This week, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the French offices of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/01/what-would-cameron-s-anti-terrorism-proposals-mean-uk/

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