VB Blog

Paper: New Keylogger on the Block

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 5, 2016

In a new paper published by Virus Bulletin, Sophos researcher Gabor Szappanos takes a look at the KeyBase keylogger, sold as a commercial product and popular among cybercriminals who use it in Office exploit kits.

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BSides Denver to take place the day after VB2016

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jun 28, 2016

VB2016, the 26th International Virus Bulletin conference, is an excellent reason to go to Denver, Colorado in the first week of October. But there is another reason to come to Denver: BSides Denver, which will take place the day after VB2016, on Saturday 8 October 2016.

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VB2015 paper: DDoS Trojan: A Malicious Concept that Conquered the ELF Format

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jun 13, 2016

In their VB2015 paper, Peter Kálnai and Jaromír Hořejší look at the current state of DDoS trojans forming covert botnets on unsuspecting systems. The paper provides a technical analysis of the most important malware families, focusing on infection methods, dynamic behaviour, C&C communication, obfuscation techniques, advanced methods of persistence and stealth, and elimination of rivals.

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Throwback Thursday: Hyppönen, that Data Fellow / Finnish Sprayer

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jun 2, 2016

This week, well known and universally respected industry guru Mikko Hyppönen celebrates his 25th anniversary of working at F-Secure (formerly known as Data Fellows). VB takes a look back in the archives at two articles published in 1994: an "insight" into the life and work of the then rising star of the anti-virus world, and a virus analysis penned by the man himself.

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VB2015 paper: Economic Sanctions on Malware

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jun 1, 2016

Financial pressure can be a proactive and potentially very effective tool in making our computer ecosystems safer. By cleverly employing various trust metrics and technologies such as digital signing, watermarking, and public-key infrastructure in strategically selected places, we can encourage good behaviours and punish bad ones. In his VB2015 paper, Igor Muttik analyses and gives examples of technologies (certificates, credentials, etc.) to de-incentivize bad behaviours in several ecosystems (Windows, Android, iOS).

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Virus Bulletin's job site for recruiters and job seekers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 26, 2016

Virus Bulletin has relaunched its security job vacancy service and added a new section, in which job seekers can advertise their skills and experience.

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Throwback Thursday: One_Half: The Lieutenant Commander?

Posted by   Helen Martin on   May 26, 2016

In October 1994, a new multi-partite virus appeared, using some of the techniques developed by the Dark Avenger in Commander_Bomber. As if this were not enough, the One_Half virus could also encrypt vital parts of the fixed disk. Eugene Kaspersky provided a detailed analysis.

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Advertisements on Blogspot sites lead to support scam

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 9, 2016

Support scam pop-ups presented through malicious advertisements show that, next to vulnerable end points, gullible users remain an easy source of money for online criminals.

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To make Tor work better on the web, we need to be honest about it

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 6, 2016

Many websites put barriers in front of visitors who use the Tor network. If we want to make the web more accessible through Tor, we need to be honest about why this is done, rather than cry wolf about a dislike for privacy, Martijn Grooten says.

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Paper: How It Works: Steganography Hides Malware in Image Files

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 28, 2016

A new paper by CYREN researcher Lordian Mosuela takes a close look at Gatak, or Stegoloader, a piece of malware that was discovered last year and that is controlled via malicious code embedded in a PNG image, a technique known as steganography.

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Search blog

Fathers 4 Justice denies virus

Campaign group categorically denies responsibility
Campaign group categorically denies responsibility Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice has categorically denied any connection with a mass-mailing worm discovered this week which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/fathers-4-justice-denies-virus/

Sentencing of Blaster author due

Maximum sentence sought for Jeffrey Lee Parson
Maximum sentence sought for Jeffrey Lee Parson Jeffrey Lee Parson, the Minnesota teenager who pleaded guilty to distributing the B variant of the Blaster worm, is scheduled to be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/sentencing-blaster-author-due/

EarthLink wins case against spammers

'Substantial' cash settlement
'Substantial' cash settlement EarthLink Inc. declared victory this week in a court case against two men accused of spamming from its network. The men, Damon DeCrescenzo and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/earthlink-wins-case-against-spammers/

Virus writer recommends anti-virus

Brazilian virus writer reveals all to Finnish magazine
Brazilian virus writer reveals all to Finnish magazine A Brazilian software programmer, who proudly claims 'viruses are my life' says that he does not want his viruses to spread… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/virus-writer-recommends-anti-virus/

Spammer sues spammed

The tables are turned
The tables are turned In an unusual turn of events, a US company accused of sending large volumes of unsolicited email has filed a lawsuit against a man who reported their… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/spammer-sues-spammed/

Man behind web cam virus arrested

Spanish authorities detain 37-year-old
Spanish authorities detain 37-year-old The Spanish Civil Guard has announced the arrest of a man suspected of writing and distributing a virus capable of covertly spying on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/man-behind-web-cam-virus-arrested/

Explosion in SMS spam

Korean cell phone users suffer onslaught of spam
Korean cell phone users suffer onslaught of spam Korean cell phone users are being blasted with SMS spam, with 870,000 cases reported to the Korea Information Security Agency… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/explosion-sms-spam/

Texas sues for millions

Two spammers sued by the state of Texas
Two spammers sued by the state of Texas The state of Texas is seeking millions of dollars from two men it accuses of sending millions of spam messages. Ryan Samuel Pitylak, a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/texas-sues-millions/

Sybari sets terms of IPO

3.35 million common shares for sale
3.35 million common shares for sale Anti-virus firm Sybari Software Inc. has set the terms of its planned initial public offering (IPO) in a filing with the Securities and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/sybari-sets-terms-ipo/

McAfee sells Research assets

SPARTA Inc. to become the lucky new owner
SPARTA Inc. to become the lucky new owner McAfee Inc. has announced that it is selling its McAfee Research assets to systems engineering firm SPARTA, Inc. McAfee Research… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/mcafee-sells-research-assets/

FTC granted restraining order against porn spammers

'Sexually explicit' labelling rule violated
'Sexually explicit' labelling rule violated The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been granted a temporary restraining order against six companies that it says have violated CAN… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/ftc-granted-restraining-order-against-porn-spammers/

Tsunami scamming begins

FBI warns donors of tsunami disaster relief fraud
FBI warns donors of tsunami disaster relief fraud The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an alert warning those who wish to donate to tsunami disaster relief funds… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/tsunami-scamming-begins/

Microsoft reveals anti-spyware beta and malware removal tool

Anti-virus imminent?
Anti-virus imminent? Microsoft has released the beta version of its new anti-spyware tool, Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware, along with indications that the release of an anti-virus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/microsoft-reveals-anti-spyware-beta-and-malware-removal-tool/

'Spam King' agrees to hold fire

For the time being at least...
For the time being at least... Prolific spammer Sanford Wallace has agreed to put a hold on his activity until his court case with the FTC has been resolved. Wallace, whose past… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/spam-king-agrees-hold-fire/

January

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/

Happy New Year!!!

Virus Bulletin would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous new year.
Virus Bulletin would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous new year. Virus Bulletin would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous new year.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/happy-new-year/

2005

Latest news from the anti-virus industry provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
NewsAddendum: August 2005 Netware 6.5 Comparative Review VB regrets that Symantec was not included in NetWare 6.5 comparative review published in the August 2005 issue of Virus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/

January issue released

The Virus Bulletin January 2005 issue is on its way.
The Virus Bulletin January 2005 issue is on its way. It's that time of the month again... If you are a subscriber to Virus Bulletin, you should be receiving your January issue… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/january-issue-released/

Synchronized malware identification for the new year

Causing a stir in the anti-virus community last month was the announcement of a new US-led initiative whose aim is to achieve threat synchronization.
Causing a stir in the anti-virus community last month was the announcement of a new US-led initiative whose aim is to achieve threat synchronization. The US Department of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/synchronized-malware-identification-new-year/

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/2004/12/latest-vgrep/

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