VB Blog

VB2019 paper: Fantastic Information and Where to Find it: A guidebook to open-source OT reconnaissance

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 22, 2019

A VB2019 paper by FireEye researcher Daniel Kapellmann Zafra explained how open source intelligence (OSINT) can be used to learn crucial details of the inner workings of many a system. Today we publish Daniel's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Different ways to cook a crab: GandCrab Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) analysed in depth

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 21, 2019

Though active for not much longer than a year, GandCrab had been one of the most successful ransomware operations. In a paper presented at VB2019 in London, McAfee researchers John Fokker and Alexandre Mundo looked at the malware code, its evolution and the affiliate scheme behind it. Today we publish both their paper and the recording of their presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Domestic Kitten: an Iranian surveillance program

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 18, 2019

At VB2019 in London, Check Point researchers Aseel Kayal and Lotem Finkelstein presented a paper detailing an Iranian operation they named 'Domestic Kitten' that used Android apps for targeted surveillance. Today we publish their paper and the video of their presentation.

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VB2019 video: Discretion in APT: recent APT attack on crypto exchange employees

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 18, 2019

At VB2019 in London, LINE's HeungSoo Kang explained how cryptocurrency exchanges had been attacked using Firefox zero-days. Today, we publish the video of his presentation.

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VB2019 paper: DNS on fire

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 7, 2019

In a paper presented at VB2019, Cisco Talos researchers Warren Mercer and Paul Rascagneres looked at two recent attacks against DNS infrastructure: DNSpionage and Sea Turtle. Today we publish their paper and the recording of their presentation.

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German Dridex spam campaign is unfashionably large

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 6, 2019

VB has analysed a malicious spam campaign targeting German-speaking users with obfuscated Excel malware that would likely download Dridex but that mostly stood out through its size.

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Paper: Dexofuzzy: Android malware similarity clustering method using opcode sequence

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 5, 2019

We publish a paper by researchers from ESTsecurity in South Korea, who describe a fuzzy hashing algorithm for clustering Android malware datasets.

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Emotet continues to bypass many email security products

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 4, 2019

Having returned from a summer hiatus, Emotet is back targeting inboxes and, as seen in the VBSpam test lab, doing a better job than most other malicious campaigns at bypassing email security products.

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VB2019 paper: We need to talk - opening a discussion about ethics in infosec

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Nov 1, 2019

Those working in the field of infosec are often faced with ethical dilemmas that are impossible to avoid. Today, we publish a VB2019 paper by Kaspersky researcher Ivan Kwiatkowski looking at ethics in infosec as well as the recording of Ivan's presentation.

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Stalkerware poses particular challenges to anti-virus products

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 31, 2019

Malware used in domestic abuse situations is a growing threat, and the standard way for anti-virus products to handle such malware may not be good enough. But that doesn't mean there isn't an important role for anti-virus to play.

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Errata: February 2005 Windows NT comparative review

VB regrets that two mistakes crept into the comparative review published in the February 2005 issue.
VB regrets that two mistakes crept into the comparative review published in the February 2005 issue. Virus Bulletin regrets that the Windows NT Workstation comparative review… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/03/errata-february-2005-windows-nt-comparative-review/

Microsoft one step closer to AV

The latest developments on Microsoft's new anti-virus venture.
The latest developments on Microsoft's new anti-virus venture. The news that set industry analysts chattering (and doom-sayers prophesying) last month was Microsoft’s acquisition… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/03/microsoft-one-step-closer-av/

March

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/03/

MSNBC's spam boob

News channel sends spam message as 'breaking news'
News channel sends spam message as 'breaking news' MSNBC.com, the online news service run by Microsoft and NBC News, was forced to make a red-faced apology this week, after… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/msnbc-s-spam-boob/

Virus alerts for UK computer users

Government launches IT security website
Government launches IT security website The UK government has launched a new service aimed at providing home users and small businesses with advice on how to protect their… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/virus-alerts-uk-computer-users/

US spammers arrested

Airport arrest for 18-year-old spammer, and felony charge for SMS election spammer
Airport arrest for 18-year-old spammer, and felony charge for SMS election spammer An 18-year-old New Yorker is under investigation this week for sending more than one million… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/us-spammers-arrested/

Phish Report Network announced

Microsoft, eBay, PayPal and Visa join forces
Microsoft, eBay, PayPal and Visa join forces Microsoft, eBay, PayPal and Visa have joined forces to form what is described as the internet's first global anti-phishing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/phish-report-network-announced/

Microsoft and Pfizer join forces to slam spam

Two giants unite in the courtroom
Two giants unite in the courtroom Microsoft and Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, have joined forces in an effort to crack down on drug-related spam. The two… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/microsoft-and-pfizer-join-forces-slam-spam/

Latest VGrep

The latest version of the virus name lookup tool - VGrep, is now available.
The latest version of the virus name lookup tool - VGrep, is now available. VGrep is a system produced in an attempt to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the naming of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/latest-vgrep/

India to curb SMS spam

Supreme Court urges government to crack down on mobile spam
Supreme Court urges government to crack down on mobile spam The Supreme Court of India has urged the Indian government to introduce legal measures to crack down on unsolicited… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/india-curb-sms-spam/

Microsoft acquires Sybari

Microsoft announces another AV acquisition
Microsoft announces another AV acquisition Microsoft has announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire AV and security provider Sybari Software Inc. Microsoft… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/microsoft-acquires-sybari/

University of Calgary teaches spam

Learnt how to create viruses? Now learn how to create spam and spyware
Learnt how to create viruses? Now learn how to create spam and spyware Students at the University of Calgary will soon be learning how to write spam and spyware programs as part… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/university-calgary-teaches-spam/

New Zealand to curb spam

Anti-spam codes of conduct for SMS and email
Anti-spam codes of conduct for SMS and email New Zealand's Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF) has signed an SMS anti-spam code of conduct, and is due to sign a similar code… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/new-zealand-curb-spam/

No soft touch for legitimate companies

FTC representative warns legitimate marketers it will go after them too if they don't comply with CAN SPAM regulations
FTC representative warns legitimate marketers it will go after them too if they don't comply with CAN SPAM regulations The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned that it… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/no-soft-touch-legitimate-companies/

German spammers to get hefty fine

New legislation proposes fines to deter would-be spammers
New legislation proposes fines to deter would-be spammers Although it has been illegal to send spam in Germany since July 2004, a new anti-spam law is being proposed by the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/german-spammers-get-hefty-fine/

Grannies grabbing the initiative

Study reveals older people and women most likely to take charge of protecting their computer systems
Study reveals older people and women most likely to take charge of protecting their computer systems A study by UK managed security firm Preventon has indicated that retired… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/grannies-grabbing-initiative/

Tsunami unlocks floodgates for opportunists

An inevitable string of tsunami related hoaxes, fraud attempts and new malware variants
An inevitable string of tsunami related hoaxes, fraud attempts and new malware variants As most of the world was still reeling from the news and pictures of devastation in Asia… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/tsunami-unlocks-floodgates-opportunists/

Call for papers: VB2005 Dublin

The deadline for submission of abstracts for VB2005 is approaching rapidly. All submissions must be received by 10 March 2005.
The deadline for submission of abstracts for VB2005 is approaching rapidly. All submissions must be received by 10 March 2005. VB2005, the Fifteenth Virus Bulletin International… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/call-papers-dublin/

February

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/02/

Minimum sentence for Blaster author

Jeffrey Lee Parson let off lightly
Jeffrey Lee Parson let off lightly Jeffrey Lee Parson, the Minnesota teenager who pleaded guilty to distributing the B variant of the Blaster worm, has been sentenced to 18… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/minimum-sentence-blaster-author/

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