VB Blog

VB2019 presentation: Attor: spy platform with curious GSM fingerprinting

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Feb 11, 2020

Attor is a newly discovered cyber-espionage platform, use of which dates back to at least 2014 and which focuses on diplomatic missions and governmental institutions. Details of Attor were presented at VB2019 in London by ESET researcher Zuzana Hromcová. Today we release the recording of Zuzana's presentation.

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Why we encourage newcomers and seasoned presenters alike to submit a paper for VB2020

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Feb 6, 2020

With the call for papers for VB2020 currently open, we explain why, whether you've never presented before or you're a conference circuit veteran, if you have some interesting research to share with the community we want to hear from you!

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VB2019 paper: The cake is a lie! Uncovering the secret world of malware-like cheats in video games

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 5, 2020

At VB2019 in London, Kaspersky researcher Santiago Pontiroli presented a paper on the growing illegal economy around video game cheats and its parallels with the malware industry. Today we publish both Santiago's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Rich headers: leveraging the mysterious artifact of the PE format

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jan 31, 2020

In a paper presented at VB2019 in London, ESET researchers Peter Kálnai and Michal Poslušný discussed the subject of rich headers and how it can be useful in malware research. Today we publish both their paper and the recording of their presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Medical IoT for diabetes and cybercrime

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jan 28, 2020

At VB2019 in London, Fortinet researcher Axelle Apvrille presented a paper co-written with Aamir Lakhani that looked at the threats faced by those who use medical IoT devices to help manage their diabetes. Today we publish the researchers' paper, as well as the recording of Axelle's presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Spoofing in the reeds with Rietspoof

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jan 24, 2020

In a VB2019 paper Avast researchers Jan Sirmer, Luigino Camastra and Adolf Středa revealed full details of the Rietspoof malware. Today we publish their paper and the recording of the presentation given by Jan and Luigino in London.

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New paper: Behind the scenes of GandCrab's operation

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jan 20, 2020

The GandCrab ransomware regularly updated itself to newer versions to stay ahead of decryptors released by security researchers, and regularly included taunts, jokes and references to security organizations in its code. In a new paper, the AhnLab Security Analysis Team reveal the full details of the battle that went on between GandCrab and AhnLab.

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VB2019 paper: King of the hill: nation-state counterintelligence for victim deconfliction

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jan 16, 2020

At VB2019 Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade looked at nation-state actors using threat intelligence for victim deconfliction. Today we publish both his paper and the recording of his presentation.

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The VB2020 call for papers - how it works

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jan 14, 2020

With the VB2020 Call for Papers now open, we explain how the selection procedure works, which may help you during your abstract submission.

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VB2019 presentation: Targeted attacks through ISPs

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jan 13, 2020

In 2019 we saw a rise in the number of targeted malware infections spread via ISPs and service providers. In a last-minute paper presented at VB2019 in London, Kaspersky researcher Denis Legezo discussed the details of a number of such cases. Today we release the recording of Denis' presentation.

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VB2014 paper: Sweeping the IP space: the hunt for evil on the Internet

Dhia Mahjoub explains how the topology of the AS graph can be used to uncover hotspots of maliciousness.
Dhia Mahjoub explains how the topology of the AS graph can be used to uncover hotspots of maliciousness.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-sweeping-ip-space-hunt-evil-internet/

Report: VB100 comparative review on Windows 8.1

40 out of 48 tested products earn VB100 award.
40 out of 48 tested products earn VB100 award. If you follow the security news, you may believe that all you have to worry about are nation states using zero-day vulnerabilities to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/report-comparative-review-windows-8-1/

Out-of-band patch released for all Windows versions

Kerberos bug means one set of credentials suffices to rule them all.
Kerberos bug means one set of credentials suffices to rule them all. If you are a Windows systems administrator, the content of this blog post will (hopefully) not come as a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/out-band-patch-released-all-windows-versions/

VB2014 paper: Optimized mal-ops. Hack the ad network like a boss

Why buying ad space makes perfect sense for those wanting to spread malware.
Why buying ad space makes perfect sense for those wanting to spread malware.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video recordings of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-optimized-mal-ops-hack-ad-network-boss/

Book review: Bulletproof SSL and TLS

Must-read for anyone working with one of the Internet's most important protocols.
Must-read for anyone working with one of the Internet's most important protocols. I was reading Ivan Ristić's book Bulletproof SSL and TLS when rumours started to appear about an… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/book-review-bulletproof-ssl-and-tls/

VB2014 paper: Bootkits: past, present & future

Despite better defences, the era of bootkits is certainly not behind us.
Despite better defences, the era of bootkits is certainly not behind us.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video recordings of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-bootkits-past-present-amp-future/

Stuxnet infected Natanz plant via carefully selected targets rather than escape from it

Five initial victims of infamous worm named.
Five initial victims of infamous worm named. Today, as Wired journalist Kim Zetter publishes her book Countdown to Zero Day on Stuxnet, researchers from Kaspersky and Symantec… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/stuxnet-infected-natanz-plant-carefully-selected-targets-rather-escape-it/

VB2014 paper: Apple without a shell - iOS under targeted attack

Developer Enterprise Program recently found to be used by WireLurker.
Developer Enterprise Program recently found to be used by WireLurker.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video recordings of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-apple-without-shell-ios-under-targeted-attack/

VB2014 video: Attack points in health apps & wearable devices - how safe is your quantified self?

Health apps and wearable devices found to make many basic security mistakes.
Health apps and wearable devices found to make many basic security mistakes. "I know a lot of you have a Fitbit device." The geeks attending VB conferences tend to like their… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/video-attack-points-health-apps-amp-wearable-devices-how-safe-your-quantified-self/

Macro malware on the rise again

Users taught that having to enable enhanced security features is no big deal.
Users taught that having to enable enhanced security features is no big deal. When I joined Virus Bulletin almost eight years ago, macro viruses were already a thing of the past,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/macro-malware-rise-again/

VB2014 paper: DMARC - how to use it to improve your email reputation

Terry Zink presents case study in which he describes setting a DMARC policy for Microsoft.
Terry Zink presents case study in which he describes setting a DMARC policy for Microsoft.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-dmarc-how-use-it-improve-your-email-reputation/

WireLurker malware infects iOS devices through OS X

Non-jailbroken devices infected via enterprise provisioning program.
Non-jailbroken devices infected via enterprise provisioning program. Researchers at Palo Alto Networks have published a research paper (PDF) analysing the 'WireLurker' malware that… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/wirelurker-malware-infects-ios-devices-through-os-x/

VB2014 Paper: Well, that escalated quickly. From penny-stealing malware to multi-million-dollar heists, a quick overview of the Bitcoin bonanza in the digital era

Santiago Pontiroli takes us on a rollercoaster ride through cryptocurrency land.
Santiago Pontiroli takes us on a rollercoaster ride through cryptocurrency land.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video recordings of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-well-escalated-quickly-penny-stealing-malware-multi-million-dollar-heists-quick-overview-bitcoin-bonanza-digital-era/

November

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/

The VB2014 presentation you never saw. Early launch Android malware: your phone is 0wned

Malicious apps may have more privileges than security software.
Malicious apps may have more privileges than security software. There are many people without whom a Virus Bulletin conference wouldn't be possible: the VB team, the crew from Cue… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/10/presentation-you-never-saw-early-launch-android-malware-your-phone-0wned/

CVE-2012-0158 continues to be used in targeted attacks

30-month old vulnerability still a popular way to infect systems.
30-month old vulnerability still a popular way to infect systems. If all you have to worry about are zero-day vulnerabilities, you have got things pretty well sorted. Although it… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/10/cve-2012-0158-continues-be-used-targeted-attacks/

Paper: Invading the core: iWorm's infection vector and persistence mechanism

Malware spreads through infected torrent, then maintains persistence on the system.
Malware spreads through infected torrent, then maintains persistence on the system. A month ago, security firm Dr.Web reported it had discovered a new malware variant targeting Mac… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/10/paper-invading-core-iworm-s-infection-vector-and-persistence-mechanism/

New IcoScript variant uses Gmail drafts for C&C communication

Switch likely to make modular malware even stealthier.
Switch likely to make modular malware even stealthier. Researchers at Shape Security have found a new variant of the IcoScript RAT that makes use of draft emails stored in Gmail,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/10/new-icoscript-variant-uses-gmail-drafts-c-amp-c-communication/

VB2014 paper: Hiding the network behind the network. Botnet proxy business model

Cristina Vatamanu and her colleagues describe how botherders keep their C&C servers hidden.
Cristina Vatamanu and her colleagues describe how botherders keep their C&C servers hidden.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/10/paper-hiding-network-behind-network-botnet-proxy-business-model/

VB2014 paper: Methods of malware persistence on Mac OS X

'KnockKnock' tool made available to the public.
'KnockKnock' tool made available to the public.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video recordings of the presentations. Today, we… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/10/paper-methods-malware-persistence-mac-os-x/

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