VB Blog

VB2017: a wide ranging and international conference programme

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 13, 2017

We are proud to announce a very broad and very international programme for VB2017, which will take place in Madrid, 4-6 October 2017.

Read more  

John Graham-Cumming and Brian Honan to deliver keynote addresses at VB2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 10, 2017

Virus Bulletin is excited to announce John-Graham Cumming and Brian Honan as the two keynote speakers for VB2017 in Madrid.

Read more  

Virus Bulletin says a fond farewell to John Hawes

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 31, 2017

As VB's COO John Hawes moves on to new challenges, the team wish him a fond farewell and good luck in his future endeavours.

Read more  

VB2016 paper: One-Click Fileless Infection

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 28, 2017

Symantec researchers Himanshu Anand and Chastine Menrige explain how a single click can lead to a compromised machine, without malware ever being stored on disk.

Read more  

Mostly blocked, but still good enough: Necurs sending pump-and-dump spam

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 22, 2017

The Necurs botnet has started sending pump-and-dump spam. Almost all of these emails are blocked by spam filters, yet the stock price still increased.

Read more  

Why the SHA-1 collision means you should stop using the algorithm

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 10, 2017

Realistically speaking, if your software or system uses the SHA-1 hashing algorithm, it is unlikely that it will be exploited in the foreseeable future. But it is also extremely difficult to be certain that your system won't be the exception.

Read more  

VB2017 Call for Papers: frequently asked questions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 10, 2017

The call for papers for VB2017, which takes place 4 to 6 October in Madrid, Spain, is currently open. We're always on the look out for new speakers and new content, so to help anyone who's unfamiliar with the VB conference, we've prepared a list of answers to some frequently asked questions about the event, and about how to submit a paper.

Read more  

Throwback Thursday: Michelangelo - Graffiti Not Art

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 9, 2017

This week marked the 25th anniversary of the trigger date of the infamous Michelangelo virus. In January 1992, VB published an analysis of the boot sector virus that captured the imagination of the press and kicked up a media storm.

Read more  

How are you defending your network? Come and tell us at VB2017!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 8, 2017

Is it your job to defend your company’s network? Are you defending a government’s systems? Do you help secure the devices used by activists operating in less open societies? Do you work with abuse victims targeted by spyware? Share your experiences with the security community at VB2017.

Read more  

Quick impressions from BSides Budapest

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 8, 2017

At Virus Bulletin, we love the BSides concept and we have attended several of the BSides events around the world. So when Peter Karsai, who is soon to join the VB team, offered to write about his experience at BSides Budapest, we jumped at the chance to publish his post.

Read more  

Search blog

December

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/12/

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 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/12/december-issue-vb-published/

Spamhaus CIO calls for those running open DNS resolvers to be fined

Open DNS resolvers instrumental in many DDoS attacks.
Open DNS resolvers instrumental in many DDoS attacks. At the Cyber Security Summit in London, Richard Cox, CIO of DNS blacklist provider Spamhaus, called on the UK government to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/spamhaus-cio-calls-those-running-open-dns-resolvers-be-fined/

Privilege escalation vulnerability targets Windows XP and Server 2003

Vulnerability being used in the wild in combination with exploit of patched Adobe Reader vulnerability.
Vulnerability being used in the wild in combination with exploit of patched Adobe Reader vulnerability. Researchers at FireEye have discovered a new privilege escalation… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/privilege-escalation-vulnerability-targets-windows-xp-and-server-2003/

There is a place for unauthenticated key exchange, but don't tell anyone

Making dragnet surveillance harder justifies using weak form of encryption.
Making dragnet surveillance harder justifies using weak form of encryption. Discussions on how to make the Internet more secure have been going on ever since the first two… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/there-place-unauthenticated-key-exchange-don-t-tell-anyone/

NCA issues alert on CryptoLocker ransomware

Malware demands $1,000 ransom to decrypt files.
Malware demands $1,000 ransom to decrypt files. This weekend, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) issued an alert about the 'CryptoLocker' ransomware - following a similar alert… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/nca-issues-alert-cryptolocker-ransomware/

Industry suffers loss of great researcher

Untimely death of Peter Ször sends shockwaves across anti-malware community.
Untimely death of Peter Ször sends shockwaves across anti-malware community. We were shocked and saddened to learn, yesterday, of the sudden and unexpected death of security… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/industry-suffers-loss-great-researcher/

'123456' may be an adequate password to protect nothing

Are we giving users the right kind of advice when it comes to password security?
Are we giving users the right kind of advice when it comes to password security? A recent data-breach at Adobe has shown once again that a lot of users choose the most trivial of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/123456-may-be-adequate-password-protect-nothing/

Good and bad news for victims of targeted attacks against Microsoft products

Bug bounty program extended; TIFF zero-day used in the wild.
Bug bounty program extended; TIFF zero-day used in the wild. This week, Microsoft has good news and bad news for those targeted by zero-day exploits in its products. The bad… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/good-and-bad-news-victims-targeted-attacks-against-microsoft-products/

November

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/

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 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/11/november-issue-vb-published/

Open letter asks AV companies for openness on surveillance malware

Old issue has become hot topic again following Snowden revelations.
Old issue has become hot topic again following Snowden revelations. A group of experts in privacy and digital rights has sent an open letter (pdf) to a number of anti-virus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/10/open-letter-asks-av-companies-openness-surveillance-malware/

Php.net compromised to serve malware

Researchers initially believed Google warning was a false positive.
Researchers initially believed Google warning was a false positive. For a few days this week, the popular php.net website was serving malware to some of its visitors and was doing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/10/php-net-compromised-serve-malware/

Should software vendors extend support for their products on Windows XP?

Is Google making the Internet more or less secure by extending support for Chrome on XP?
Is Google making the Internet more or less secure by extending support for Chrome on XP? A software vendor's decision to release updates to its product is generally seen as a good… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/10/should-software-vendors-extend-support-their-products-windows-xp/

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 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/10/october-issue-vb-published/

October

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/10/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Methusela Ferrer about her research interests and what she aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Methusela Ferrer about her research interests and what she aims to bring to VB2013. The VB2013 conference takes place next week (2-4 October) in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-ferrer/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Jarno Niemela about APTs and about what he aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Jarno Niemela about APTs and about what he aims to bring to VB2013. The VB2013 conference takes place next week (2-4 October) in Berlin, with an… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-niemela/

Tens of thousands of fake Twitter accounts passed off and sold as 'followers'

After initial takedown, more efforts put into making new fake accounts look genuine.
After initial takedown, more efforts put into making new fake accounts look genuine.Virus Bulletin's research into a scam selling fake Twitter accounts being passed off as… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/tens-thousands-fake-twitter-accounts-passed-and-sold-followers/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Rowland Yu about Android malware, his research interests, and what he aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Rowland Yu about Android malware, his research interests, and what he aims to bring to VB2013. The VB2013 conference takes place next month (2-4… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-yu/

We have placed cookies on your device in order to improve the functionality of this site, as outlined in our cookies policy. However, you may delete and block all cookies from this site and your use of the site will be unaffected. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to Virus Bulletin's use of data as outlined in our privacy policy.