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

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/

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/

July

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

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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