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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Search blog

Drop reported in infected computers worldwide

Nearly one third of computers still found to be infected.
Nearly one third of computers still found to be infected. The proportion of infected computers worldwide decreased from 38.49% in 2011 to 31.98% last year, according to an annual… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/drop-reported-infected-computers-worldwide/

Happy Safer Internet Day

10th annual awareness day focuses on rights and responsibilities.
10th annual awareness day focuses on rights and responsibilities. Today (5th February) is Safer Internet Day 2013 across the world. Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised by the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/happy-safer-internet-day/

Impressive results in latest VBSpam test

Excellent performances in spam filter test - plus evidence of a correlation between spam 'passing' SPF and an increased delivery rate.
Excellent performances in spam filter test - plus evidence of a correlation between spam 'passing' SPF and an increased delivery rate. No fewer than ten anti-spam solutions… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/impressive-results-latest-vbspam-test/

February issue of VB published

The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The February 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/february-issue-vb-published/

February

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/02/

Phone support scammers attempt repeat business

Previous victims contacted again and tricked into 'renewing' service.
Previous victims contacted again and tricked into 'renewing' service. Phone support scammers have found a new way to make easy money: by calling back people whom they have… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/phone-support-scammers-attempt-repeat-business/

Avast launches bug bounty programme

Security firm offers reward for info on bugs.
Security firm offers reward for info on bugs. Security firm Avast Software, producer of the popular avast! free anti-virus solution, has announced a bug bounty programme to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/avast-launches-bug-bounty-programme/

VB2014 - location, location, location

Cat escapes bag as details of VB2014 conference are announced.
Cat escapes bag as details of VB2014 conference are announced. Keeping shtum about the dates and details for VB2014 - the 24th Virus Bulletin International Conference - has not… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/location-location-location/

Indian government proposes pamphlet-based cybersecurity education

Mandatory brochures not welcomed by manufacturers.
Mandatory brochures not welcomed by manufacturers. In an attempt to raise public awareness of security issues, the Indian government has proposed a plan in which it will be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/indian-government-proposes-pamphlet-based-cybersecurity-education/

Anonymous petitions Obama Administration

Anti-virus and security related articles provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
"Make DDoS a legal form of protest." Hacking/protest group Anonymous has petitioned the Obama Administration to recognize DDoS attacks as a legal form of protest. The petition… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/anonymous-petitions-obama-administration/

Cat carries computer virus

Cat collared.
Cat collared. Japanese police have captured a cat said to be carrying a computer virus on a memory card attached to its collar. The bizarre 'arrest' came after various Japanese… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/cat-carries-computer-virus/

European Cybercrime Centre set for launch

Central cybercrime resource for EU member states.
Central cybercrime resource for EU member states. This Friday will see the doors of the new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) officially open in The Hague. The EC3 - which will be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/european-cybercrime-centre-set-launch/

January issue of VB published

The January issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The January issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The January 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/january-issue-vb-published/

2013

Latest news from the anti-virus industry provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
NewsBotconf - the 'first botnet fighting conference'Tools, ideas and research presented in Nantes. 10 December 2013VB2014: more of the same, plus something a little… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/

January

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/01/

December

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/12/

December issue of VB published

The December issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The December issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The December 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/12/december-issue-vb-published/

Correction to VBSpam results

Spamhaus and SURBL results re-evaluated.
Spamhaus and SURBL results re-evaluated. The most recent VBSpam results incorrectly stated that SURBL failed to detect a blacklisted URL in any of the emails in the Wombat feed of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/11/correction-vbspam-results/

Virus Bulletin announces VBWeb tests for web filters

Regular comparative tests will show which products offer best protection from malicious web traffic.
Regular comparative tests will show which products offer best protection from malicious web traffic. Just as security companies can't afford to neglect the major infection vector… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/11/announces-vbweb-tests-web-filters/

Latest spam filter test shows spam catch rates have bounced back

Spam catch rates improve, but performance on phishing lags behind that on other spam.
Spam catch rates improve, but performance on phishing lags behind that on other spam. Earlier this week we published the results of the 22nd VBSpam comparative spam filter test,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/11/latest-spam-filter-test-shows-spam-catch-rates-have-bounced-back/

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