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

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 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/04/april-issue-vb-published/

Microsoft Word for Mac exploit used in targeted attacks

Tibetan NGOs targeted.
Tibetan NGOs targeted. Researchers at Alienvault have discovered a targeted attack against Tibetan NGOs that uses a three-year-old vulnerability in Microsoft Office for Mac.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/microsoft-word-mac-exploit-used-targeted-attacks/

AV-Test issues latest results summary

Bi-monthly stats released for 31 consumer and business products.
Bi-monthly stats released for 31 consumer and business products. Independent testing body Av-Test.org has published its latest round of results, covering some 23 consumer products… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/av-test-issues-latest-results-summary/

Spam catch rates drop in latest VBSpam test

Catch rates significantly lower than in previous months.
Catch rates significantly lower than in previous months. In the latest VBSpam comparative test, 20 solutions achieved a VBSpam award, but the majority displayed significantly lower… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/spam-catch-rates-drop-latest-vbspam-test/

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 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/march-issue-vb-published/

March

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/

'Unsubscribe' URL in junk fax leads to malware

Trojan downloader behind .co.cc URL.
Trojan downloader behind .co.cc URL. Researchers at Vircom have discovered a junk fax with an 'unsubscribe' URL which contained a trojan downloader. Junk faxes (also known as 'fax… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/unsubscribe-url-junk-fax-leads-malware/

New Zeus/SpyEye botnet does away with command-and-control servers

Increasing use of UDP to avoid communication tracking.
Increasing use of UDP to avoid communication tracking. Researchers at Symantec have discovered a new parallel build of Zeus (also known as Zbot) and SpyEye that appears to be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/new-zeus-spyeye-botnet-does-away-command-and-control-servers/

200-fold increase in HTML-attachment spam

Cutwail botnet likely behind campaign that sends users to Phoenix exploit kit.
Cutwail botnet likely behind campaign that sends users to Phoenix exploit kit. Researchers at M86 have reported a significant increase in the amount of spam sent with malicious… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/200-fold-increase-html-attachment-spam/

'Hotmail and Gmail have best spam filter' says Cascade spam test

Comparative test did not take false positives into account.
Comparative test did not take false positives into account. Researchers from Cascade Insights performed a comparative spam filtering test on the three major webmail providers and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/hotmail-and-gmail-have-best-spam-filter-says-cascade-spam-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 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/february-issue-vb-published/

February

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/

Hacktivists hijack DNS of popular websites

Security at registrars may be weak link.
Security at registrars may be weak link. A hacktivist group has managed to redirect the traffic of two popular websites by hijacking their DNS settings, researchers at Internet… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/hacktivists-hijack-dns-popular-websites/

New RFC describes best practices for running DNS-based lists

DNSBL users advised to avoid those lists that charge for delisting.
DNSBL users advised to avoid those lists that charge for delisting. A new RFC document has been published that describes the best operational practices for the use of DNS-based… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/new-rfc-describes-best-practices-running-dns-based-lists/

Vulnerability turns McAfee's anti-malware solution into open relay

Flaw allows for spam to be sent through customers' PCs.
Flaw allows for spam to be sent through customers' PCs. A vulnerability discovered in McAfee's SaaS for Total Protection, the company's hosted anti-malware solution, effectively… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/vulnerability-turns-mcafee-s-anti-malware-solution-open-relay/

AV-Test releases latest results

Business and consumer products achieve high pass rate.
Business and consumer products achieve high pass rate. Independent testing lab AV-Test.org has released its latest batch of test results, with 23 consumer products and eight… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/av-test-releases-latest-results/

Sykipot trojan used to target smart cards

Defence companies among small number of targets.
Defence companies among small number of targets. Researchers at Alienvault have discovered a version of the 'Sykipot' trojan that is being used to target organisations that make… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/sykipot-trojan-used-target-smart-cards/

Spammers link to site containing QR code

Curious users may scan URL and end up on pharma websites.
Curious users may scan URL and end up on pharma websites. Researchers at Websense have discovered spam containing links to a site containing a QR code in which the spam's target… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/spammers-link-site-containing-qr-code/

2012

Latest news from the anti-virus industry provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
NewsDecember issue of VB published The December issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. 03 December 2012Virus Bulletin announces VBWeb tests for web… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/

January

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/

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.