VB Blog

VB2016 Call for Papers - Frequently Asked Questions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 11, 2016

Are you interested in submitting an abstract for VB2016? We've answered some frequently asked questions about the Call for Papers, which closes next week.

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Throwback Thursday: Hash Woes

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 10, 2016

This Throwback Thursday we go back to 2004, when the entire crypto community was abuzz with the news that a group of Chinese researchers had demonstrated flaws in a whole set of hash functions - VB took a closer look to clarify the situation and draw lessons from the incident.

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VB2015 paper: Mobile Banking Fraud via SMS in North America: Who's Doing it and How

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 2, 2016

Though SMS may have been claimed dead many time, it is still very much alive, and quite popular among mobile phishers. At VB2015, Adaptive Mobile researcher Cathal Mc Daid presented a paper various mobile phishing campaigns targeting North American banks.

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Throwback Thursday: Viruses on the Internet

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 25, 2016

This Throwback Thursday VB heads back to 1996 when - long before the days of driveby downloads and exploit kits - VB published a report on the state of viruses on the Internet.

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RSA and BSides San Francisco

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 24, 2016

Next week, Virus Bulletin Editor Martijn Grooten will attend the RSA conference in San Francisco, where he will give a talk entitled "How Broken Is Our Crypto Really?" He will also speak at BSides San Francisco, where he will give a talk entitled "Elliptic Curve Cryptography for Those Who are Afraid of Mathematics".

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Virus Bulletin publishes first web filter test report

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 19, 2016

After a lot of preparation, Virus Bulletin is proud to have published the first "VBWeb" comparative web filter test report, in which products' ability to block web-based malware and drive-by downloads was tested. Fortinet's FortiGuard appliance was the first product to achieve a VBWeb certification.

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VB2015 paper: Will Android Trojans, Worms or Rootkits Survive in SEAndroid and Containerization?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 18, 2016

Sophos researchers Rowland Yu and William Lee look at whether recent security enhancements to Android, such as SEAndroid and containerization, will be enough to defeat future malware threats.

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First six VB2016 sponsors announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 17, 2016

Virus Bulletin is excited to announce the first six sponsors for VB2016, the 26th international Virus Bulletin conference, which will take place in Denver, Colorado, USA 5-7 October 2016.

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VB2015 paper: Sizing cybercrime: incidents and accidents, hints and allegations

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 11, 2016

Cybercrime is big. But how big is it really? In a paper presented at VB2015 and together with the presentation video published on our website today, ESET researcher Stephen Cobb looks at previous studies that attempt the size of cybercrime and asks why we need such data and what can be done better.

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Throwback Thursday: The Thin Blue Line

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 11, 2016

This Throwback Thursday, VB heads back to 1994 when UK Fraud Squad detectives started making inroads into the most puzzling 'Whodunnit' since the Great Train Robbery. Had an outbreak of computer crime swept Britain? No, it was all part of a police training program.

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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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

Virus writers continue targeting Microsoft's latest ideas

Another piece of malware for MS Powershell.
Another piece of malware for MS Powershell. Another piece of malware for Microsoft's Powershell is making the news. The script virus exploits the new command shell, formerly known… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/virus-writers-continue-targeting-microsoft-s-latest-ideas/

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