VB Blog

Malicious CCleaner update points to a major weakness in our infrastructure

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 18, 2017

Researchers from Cisco Talos have found that a recent version of the widely used CCleaner tool installed malware on the machine.

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Despite the profitability of ransomware there is a good reason why mining malware is thriving

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Sep 15, 2017

Though ransomware is far more profitable than using a compromised PC to mine bitcoins, the global distribution of malware means that there are many botnets for which mining is the most efficient way to extract money out of a PC.

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VB2017 preview: Crypton - exposing malware's deepest secrets

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 14, 2017

We preview the VB2017 paper by Julia Karpin and Anna Dorfman (F5 networks), in which they present a tool to decrypt encrypted parts of malware.

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VB2017 preview: Hacktivism and website defacement: motivations, capabilities and potential threats

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 13, 2017

We preview the VB2017 paper by Marco Romagna and Niek Jan van den Hout (The Hague University of Applied Sciences), in which they thoroughly analyse the motivations and modus operandy of hacktivists.

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Three questions to ask about security product bypasses

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 13, 2017

Proof-of-concepts for bypasses of security products always sound scary, but how seriously should we take them? VB Editor Martijn Grooten lists three questions one should ask about any such bypass to determine how serious a threat it represents.

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VB2017: WHOIS and EICAR Small Talks added

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 12, 2017

Today, we announce two more 'Small Talks' for the VB2017 programme. In one of them, Neil Schwarzman will discuss the consequences of the GDPR for WHOIS and abuse research, while the other will be hosted by three members of EICAR, who will discuss its work on a trustworthiness strategy and minimum standard.

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VB2017: nine last-minute papers announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 11, 2017

From attacks on Ukraine's power grid to web shells, and from car hacking to ransomware: we announce the first nine 'last-minute' papers on the VB2017 programme.

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Patching is important even when it only shows the maturity of your security process

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 5, 2017

A lot of vulnerabilities that are discovered are never exploited in the wild. It is still important to patch them though.

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Massive data breach confirms what you already knew: you are getting spam

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 4, 2017

A security researcher found more than 700 million email addresses stored on a server used by a spam botnet, which gives us some insight into what the email lists used by spammers look like.

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VB2017 preview: State of cybersecurity in Africa: Kenya

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Sep 4, 2017

We preview the VB2017 presentation by Tyrus Kamau (Euclid Security), who will talk about the state of cybersecurity in Africa, with a particular focus on his home country, Kenya.

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VB2006 conference programme revealed

The VB2006 conference programme is now available.
The VB2006 conference programme is now available. VB has revealed the conference programme for VB2006, the 16th Virus Bulletin International Conference. The three-day conference… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/conference-programme-revealed/

Grisoft makes acquisition

AVG developer acquires Ewido Networks.
AVG developer acquires Ewido Networks. Anti-Virus vendor Grisoft has announced the acquisition of German anti-malware firm Ewido Networks. Although one of the smaller players in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/grisoft-makes-acquisition/

'Real' computer virus

Digital life form.
Digital life form. Researchers in the US have constructed a virtual version of the satellite tobacco mosaic virus using more than a million 'digital atoms'. The researchers used… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/real-computer-virus/

April

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/

More updating woes

Another troublesome month for security vendors.
Another troublesome month for security vendors. Last month we reported on problems for Kaspersky, Sophos and Microsoft caused by faulty updates. This month it is the turn of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/more-updating-woes/

Largest can-spam fine to be paid

Internet marketing firm makes $900,000 settlement.
Internet marketing firm makes $900,000 settlement. An Internet marketing firm in the US has agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a case brought against it by the Federal Trade… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/largest-can-spam-fine-be-paid/

Spy couple sentenced

Trojan peddlers get their comeuppance.
Trojan peddlers get their comeuppance. An Israeli couple who ran a private investigation service have been handed jail sentences and a $426,000 fine after pleading guilty to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/spy-couple-sentenced/

Code of practice for Australia's ISPs

Legislative code to come into force.
Legislative code to come into force. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is poised to introduce a legislative code of practice for ISPs that could see hefty… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/code-practice-australia-s-isps/

China calculates cost of spam

Lost productivity costs dear.
Lost productivity costs dear. Spam is costing China $756m (6.069 billion yuan) every year according to estimates by the Internet Society of China (ISC). The figure, published in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/04/china-calculates-cost-spam/

Hotbar adware dispute settled

Symantec settles adware case
Symantec settles adware case Symantec has reached an out-of-court agreement in the pre-emptive lawsuit it filed against marketing firm Hotbar.com Inc. In the unusual case, the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/03/hotbar-adware-dispute-settled/

China to crack down on spam

China toughens up its anti-spam regulations
China toughens up its anti-spam regulations The Chinese Government has introduced a set of regulations aimed at reducing the amount of spam circulating in the country. The sending… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/03/china-crack-down-spam/

March

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/03/

Updating niggles

Troublesome month for security vendors
Troublesome month for security vendors Last month proved to be troublesome for security vendors Sophos, Microsoft and Kaspersky, as niggles with updates caused problems for their… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/03/updating-niggles/

Vigilant staff avert phishing scam

Scammers halted in their tracks
Scammers halted in their tracks A web-hosting company based in New Zealand claims that, thanks to the vigilance of its staff, it has averted a potential phishing scam targeted at… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/03/vigilant-staff-avert-phishing-scam/

Dutch police arrest Nigerian scammers

419 scamming ring uncovered
419 scamming ring uncovered Dutch police arrested 12 Nigerians in Amsterdam last month after they were found to be operating a 419 scamming ring. According to Dutch police, who… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/03/dutch-police-arrest-nigerian-scammers/

Neighbourhood Watch to fight 'badware'

New initiative aimed at fighting spyware, malware and deceptive adware.
New initiative aimed at fighting spyware, malware and deceptive adware. Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems have pledged their support for a new initiative aimed at fighting… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/02/neighbourhood-watch-fight-badware/

Addendum: The false positive disaster

Some concerns have arisen over the version of ClamAV tested for the article 'The false positive disaster'.
Some concerns have arisen over the version of ClamAV tested for the article 'The false positive disaster'. Some concerns have arisen over the version of ClamAV tested for the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/02/addendum-false-positive-disaster/

Hong Kong proposes anti-spam bill

Proposals for anti-spam legislation revealed.
Proposals for anti-spam legislation revealed. Hong Kong's Commerce, Industry & Technology Bureau has revealed its proposals for anti-spam legislation and launched a two-month… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/02/hong-kong-proposes-anti-spam-bill/

VB2006 call for papers

The deadline for submitting paper proposals for VB2006 is fast approaching.
The deadline for submitting paper proposals for VB2006 is fast approaching. The deadline for submitting paper proposals for VB2006 is fast approaching. Abstracts of approximately… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/02/call-papers/

Spammer to pay AOL over $5 million

Company wins case against prolific spammer.
Company wins case against prolific spammer.AOL is waiting to receive $5.6 million this month after winning its case against 25-year-old Minnesota spammer Christopher William… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/02/spammer-pay-aol-over-5-million/

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