VB Blog

Alleged author of creepy FruitFly macOS malware arrested

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 11, 2018

A 28-year old man from Ohio has been arrested on suspicion of having created the mysterious FruitFly malware that targeted macOS and used it to spy on its victims.

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The threat and security product landscape in 2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 10, 2018

At the start of the new year, Virus Bulletin looks back at the threats seen in the 2017 and at the security products that are available to help mitigate them.

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Spamhaus report shows many botnet controllers look a lot like legitimate servers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 9, 2018

Spamhaus's annual report on botnet activity shows that botherders tend to use popular, legitimate hosting providers, domain registrars and top-level domains when setting up command-and-control servers.

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Tips on researching tech support scams

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 5, 2018

As tech support scammers continue to target the computer illiterate through cold calling, VB's Martijn Grooten uses his own experience to share some advice on how to investigate such scams.

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Meltdown and Spectre attacks mitigated by operating system updates

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 4, 2018

Just four days into the new year, two serious attacks in modern processors, dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, have been discovered. The attacks can be mitigated by patches to the operating system, but anti-virus software vendors need to make sure their products are compatible with the patches.

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Conference review: AVAR 2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 22, 2017

Martijn Grooten reports on the 20th AVAR conference, which took place earlier in December in Beijing, China.

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Conference review: Botconf 2017

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Dec 22, 2017

Virus Bulletin researchers report back from a very interesting fifth edition of Botconf, the botnet fighting conference.

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VB2017 videos on attacks against Ukraine

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 21, 2017

(In)security is a global issue that affects countries around the world, but in recent years none has been so badly hit as Ukraine. Today, we publish the videos of two VB2017 talks about attacks that hit Ukraine particularly badly: a talk by Alexander Adamov (NioGuard) on (Not)Petya and related attacks, and another by Robert Lipovsky and Anton Cherepanov (ESET) on Industroyer.

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Facebook helps you determine whether emails really came from its servers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 21, 2017

On its website, Facebook now shows which emails it has sent you recently, thus helping you to determine which emails are real, and which should be discarded as phishing.

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Vulnerability disclosure and botnet takedown not to be hindered by Wassenaar Arrangement

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Dec 19, 2017

Clarification in the language of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral export control regime for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies, means those involved in vulnerability disclosure or botnet takedown won't have to worry about acquiring an export licence.

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Search blog

New VB Spam Supplement

VB plans to present a selection of news and articles on spam and anti-spam techniques - some technical, some ethical, some relating to real-world experiences of dealing with spam.
VB plans to present a selection of news and articles on spam and anti-spam techniques - some technical, some ethical, some relating to real-world experiences of dealing with spam.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/11/new-vb-spam-supplement/

November

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/11/

Totally Toronto: VB2003

Helen Martin recounts the Virus Bulletin conference.
Helen Martin recounts the Virus Bulletin conference. full article Posted on 30 October 2003 by Virus Bulletin https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/10/totally-toronto/

Linux vs. Windows viruses: a rebuttal

Pete Sergeant responds to an article by a SecurityFocus columnist, which hints that Linux users really don't need to worry about viruses.
Pete Sergeant responds to an article by a SecurityFocus columnist, which hints that Linux users really don't need to worry about viruses. Regarding Linux vs. Windows Viruses:… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/10/linux-vs-windows-viruses-rebuttal/

October

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/10/

Four arrests and a congressional hearing

US Congress starts to take computer security seriously, four alleged malware writers arrested...
US Congress starts to take computer security seriously, four alleged malware writers arrested... A US Congressional hearing was held last month to discuss the current state of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/09/four-arrests-and-congressional-hearing/

September

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/09/

Youth faces arrest for Blaster variant

Teenager suspected of creating Blaster variant faces arrest.
Teenager suspected of creating Blaster variant faces arrest. An 18-year-old suspected of creating a variant of the Blaster worm is reported to be facing arrest today. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/08/youth-faces-arrest-blaster-variant/

Watching and waiting for Sobig

On 22 August 2003 anti-virus experts and sysadmins worldwide waited to discover what events, if any, would unfold when Sobig.F began a synchronized attack.
On 22 August 2003 anti-virus experts and sysadmins worldwide waited to discover what events, if any, would unfold when Sobig.F began a synchronized attack. Anti-virus experts and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/08/watching-and-waiting-sobig/

Symantec acquires Hilgraeve patent

Symantec pays $62.5m for a software patent, considers litigation against infringing competitors.
Symantec pays $62.5m for a software patent, considers litigation against infringing competitors. Symantec announced yesterday it had paid $62.5m for the infamous US Patent No.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/08/symantec-acquires-hilgraeve-patent/

August

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/08/

No more Mr Nice Guy: UK gets tough on hi-tech criminals

Welsh virus-writer shown justice, not mercy
Welsh virus-writer shown justice, not mercy London’s Court of Appeal has turned down Welsh virus writer Simon Vallor’s appeal to shorten his two-year custodial sentence. Vallor,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/08/no-more-mr-nice-guy-uk-gets-tough-hi-tech-criminals/

July

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/07/

Canadian retreat

Ontario plays host to VB2003 and NTBugtraq Retreat.
Ontario plays host to VB2003 and NTBugtraq Retreat. This year's Virus Bulletin conference programme covers a wide range of subjects - from the detailed analysis of emerging… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/07/canadian-retreat/

The big wait

Will Microsoft's second attempt at entering the anti-virus field result in the 'vast shake-up' of the AV industry that was expected last time?
Will Microsoft's second attempt at entering the anti-virus field result in the 'vast shake-up' of the AV industry that was expected last time? The big news in June was the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/07/big-wait/

School without thought - your thoughts

Your thoughts on the University of Calgary's proposals to teach virus writing in its course on computer viruses and malware.
Your thoughts on the University of Calgary's proposals to teach virus writing in its course on computer viruses and malware.Recently VB reported on the University of Calgary's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/06/school-without-thought-your-thoughts/

Microsoft buys into AV

Microsoft announces acquisition of anti-virus technology.
Microsoft announces acquisition of anti-virus technology.Microsoft has announced the acquisition of anti-virus technology from Romanian AV manufacturer GeCAD Software.The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/06/microsoft-buys-av/

June

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/06/

School without thought

University course teaches students to write malware.
University course teaches students to write malware. The University of Calgary has announced very proudly on its website that a new undergraduate course will 'focus on developing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/06/school-without-thought/

Military intelligence

US Army gets serious about anti-virus.
US Army gets serious about anti-virus. The US Army is using products supplied by Trend Micro to protect users of its Army Knowledge Online service from viruses, malicious content… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2003/04/military-intelligence/

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