VB Blog

A Christmas present for the security community

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 24, 2016

As a Christmas present for the security community, we have uploaded most of the papers and videos from the VB2015 conference which took place in Prague almost 15 months ago. The Virus Bulletin crew wishes you all the best for 2017!

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Paper: Spreading techniques used by malware

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 21, 2016

In a new paper published by Virus Bulletin, Acalvio researcher Abhishek Singh discusses some of the techniques used by malware to increase its impact by spreading further.

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VB2016 video: On the StrongPity waterhole attacks targeting Italian and Belgian encryption users

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 20, 2016

At VB2016, Kaspersky Lab researcher Kurt Baumgartner delivered a presentation on the StrongPity watering hole attacks that targeted users of encryption technologies, and which were recently featured in a report by Microsoft. Today, we share the video of Kurt's presentation.

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Conference review: Botconf 2016

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 20, 2016

Three members of the Virus Bulletin team attended the Botconf 2016 conference in Lyon, France last month, enjoying talks on subjects that ranged from state-sponsored attacks to exploit kits, and from banking trojans to cyber insurance.

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Throwback Thursday: Adjust Your Attitude!

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Dec 15, 2016

"Most of you reading this article have the technical skill but do you have the people skills?" In 2000, James Wolfe urged security experts to sell themselves and their services.

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VB2016 paper: Modern attacks on Russian financial institutions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 12, 2016

Today, we publish the VB2016 paper and presentation (recording) by ESET researchers Jean-Ian Boutin and Anton Cherepanov, in which they look at sophisticated attacks against Russian financial institutions.

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More on the Moose botnet at Botconf

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 2, 2016

At Botconf 2016 this week, GoSecure researchers Masarah Paquet-Clouston and Olivier Bilodeau presented their research on the Moose botnet - something Olivier Bilodeau previously spoke about at VB2015.

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VB2016 paper: Defeating sandbox evasion: how to increase successful emulation rate in your virtualized environment

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 2, 2016

Today, we publish the VB2016 paper and presentation (recording) by Check Point Software researchers Alexander Chailytko and Stanislav Skuratovich, which focuses on the techniques used by malware to detect virtual environments, and provides detailed technical descriptions of what can be done to defeat them.

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VB2016 paper: Mobile applications: a backdoor into the Internet of Things?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 29, 2016

While the Internet of Things blossoms with newly connected objects every day, the security and privacy of these objects is often overlooked, making the IoT a major security concern. Unfortunately, reverse-engineering so-called smart devices is not an easy task. In her VB2016 paper, Axelle Apvrille presented a novel way of analysing smart devices: by looking at the accompanying mobile app. Today, we publish both Axelle’s paper and the video recording of her VB2016 presentation.

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VB2016 paper: Wave your false flags! Deception tactics muddying attribution in targeted attacks

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 21, 2016

Today, we publish the VB2016 paper and presentation (recording) by Kaspersky Lab researchers Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade and Brian Bartholomew, in which they look at some of the deception tactics used in targeted attacks.

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Search blog

Test company creates malware

Consumer organisation makes over 5,000 'virus variants' for AV product testing.
Consumer organisation makes over 5,000 'virus variants' for AV product testing.ConsumerReports.org, a non-profit consumer website, has announced that it created 5,500 'new virus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/test-company-creates-malware/

MS06-040 fears spread

Exploit worm stories continue to appear, but threat believed minor.
Exploit worm stories continue to appear, but threat believed minor. Reports are proliferating across the Internet, warning of the dangers faced by users of older operating systems… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/ms06-040-fears-spread/

Tough week for Symantec

Security firm suffers security bug and incompatibility criticism.
Security firm suffers security bug and incompatibility criticism. After announcing on Friday the discovery of a vulnerability in its Backup Exec software, Symantec suffered press… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/tough-week-symantec/

US e-vigilante takes on spammers

65-year-old files 82 cases in two years.
65-year-old files 82 cases in two years. A retired Pittsburgh man has used a Pennsylvania state law, allowing spam victims $100 compensation for every spam received, to fight back… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/us-e-vigilante-takes-spammers/

OneCare pounds competitors

Microsoft's AV storms to second in US sales charts.
Microsoft's AV storms to second in US sales charts. Heavily discounted Windows Live OneCare took over 15% of over-the-counter US sales of AV software last month, according to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/onecare-pounds-competitors/

Patched Windows vuln exploited

As Microsoft plugs security holes, hackers quickly take advantage.
As Microsoft plugs security holes, hackers quickly take advantage. An exploit has been sighted using a vulnerability patched this week, as part of Microsoft's 'Patch Tuesday' set… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/patched-windows-vuln-exploited/

BlackBerry 'Trojan' unveiled

Mobile device proof-of-concept opens hole in network security.
Mobile device proof-of-concept opens hole in network security. A proof-of-concept attack, which uses the BlackBerry mobile device to breach network security, was demonstrated at… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/blackberry-trojan-unveiled/

Spammers sued under child-protection law

State of Michigan accuses spam companies of corrupting minors.
State of Michigan accuses spam companies of corrupting minors. The Attorney General of Michigan state has announced plans to prosecute two US companies under anti-spam laws… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/spammers-sued-under-child-protection-law/

419 ringleader arrested

Scammer made $2m, now behind bars in Lagos.
Scammer made $2m, now behind bars in Lagos. The head of a 419 gang who made vast sums conning email victims out of their cash has been arrested in Lagos, Nigeria. The announcement… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/419-ringleader-arrested/

F-Secure and Symbian row over hype

Commwarrior alert reignites battle over mobile malware danger.
Commwarrior alert reignites battle over mobile malware danger. An alert from F-Secure over a new version of the Commwarrior mobile worm has led to angry words from mobile… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/f-secure-and-symbian-row-over-hype/

AOL hands out security software

Web giant provides free Kaspersky AV to all.
Web giant provides free Kaspersky AV to all. From Monday, ISP leviathan AOL began providing free security software for its customers and anyone else who cares to download it. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/aol-hands-out-security-software/

JFK spam scam

419ers try conspiracy tactic.
419ers try conspiracy tactic. The old 419 scam has adopted yet another guise, and another target audience. The lure of the latest batch of spams is the promise of insight into the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/jfk-spam-scam/

Badware blacklist comes into force at Google

Search engine starts flagging suspect sites.
Search engine starts flagging suspect sites. Search goliath Google has begun using a blacklist supplied by the Stop Badware Coalition to warn its users about sites known to be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/badware-blacklist-comes-force-google/

South African bank gives away Trend software

More online customers get free protection.
More online customers get free protection. South African bank ABSA plans to give away security software from Trend Micro to its 650,000+ online banking customers. The move,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/south-african-bank-gives-away-trend-software/

BlackHat shows off yet more holes

As conference highlights security issues, MS dares hackers to find more.
As conference highlights security issues, MS dares hackers to find more. A tidal wave of new security flaws, and vectors for hacking and malware, has gushed out of the BlackHat… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/blackhat-shows-yet-more-holes/

More vulns in AV products

eTrust, PC Tools suffer security bugs.
eTrust, PC Tools suffer security bugs. CA's WebScan has had several security holes discovered in its ActiveX control system, while PC Tools AntiVirus has been revealed to have… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/more-vulns-av-products/

Spammers target phones

Text message spam on the rise.
Text message spam on the rise. More and more users of mobile phone SMS messaging are receiving spam, according to reports. The problem is especially serious in places like the US,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/spammers-target-phones/

Norton scares vicars

Sermon software spyware, says Symantec.
Sermon software spyware, says Symantec. Popular software used by Church of England clergy has been mislabelled as spyware by Symantec's Norton software. The software, called… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/norton-scares-vicars/

Serious vulns in Centrino wireless

Intel releases generic patches, urges users to seek specific fixes.
Intel releases generic patches, urges users to seek specific fixes. Several security flaws have been exposed in Intel's Centrino wireless technology, which could allow hackers to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/serious-vulns-centrino-wireless/

Apple releases patches - Mac debate rumbles on

Are Macs safer than Windows PCs? Oh yes they are... Oh no they're not.. etc.
Are Macs safer than Windows PCs? Oh yes they are... Oh no they're not.. etc. Spokespeople for various AV companies continue to add to the 'are Macs safer?' debate kicked off last… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/apple-releases-patches-mac-debate-rumbles/

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