VB Blog

DMARC: an imperfect solution that can make a big difference

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 24, 2017

US Senator Ron Wyden has asked the Department of Homeland Security to implement DMARC. Martijn Grooten looks at what difference this could make for phishing attacks impersonating the US federal governent.

Read more  

Advanced and inept persistent threats to be discussed at VB2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 20, 2017

Unsurprisingly given today's threat landscape, the VB2017 programme contains several talks on various advanced persistent threats - but also a talk on what may be the polar opposite of such threats: an inept persistent threat.

Read more  

Password security is 1% choosing a half-decent password, 99% not using it anywhere else

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 18, 2017

Password security advice focuses too much on password strength and too little on avoiding password reuse, Martijn Grooten argues.

Read more  

Save the dates: VB2018 to take place 3-5 October 2018

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 17, 2017

Though the location will remain a secret for a few more months, we are pleased to announce the dates for VB2018, the 28th Virus Bulletin International Conference.

Read more  

Review: BSides Athens 2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 10, 2017

The second edition of BSides Athens saw a great and varied programme presented in the Greek capital. VB's Martijn Grooten was pleased to attend.

Read more  

Let's not help attackers by spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 7, 2017

Spreading 'FUD' in the wake of cyber-attacks is never a good idea. But it's even worse when this might be one of the attackers' implicit goals.

Read more  

Calling next-gen security researchers: student discount for VB2017 announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 7, 2017

For the third year in a row, we have set aside a limited number of student tickets for the Virus Bulletin conference, to allow 'next-generation' security researchers to experience one of the most important gatherings of security researchers around the world.

Read more  

Nominations opened for fourth Péter Szőr Award

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 4, 2017

Virus Bulletin has opened nominations for the fourth annual Péter Szőr Award, for the best piece of technical security research published between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017.

Read more  

VB2016 paper: BlackEnergy – what we really know about the notorious cyber attacks

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 3, 2017

According to some researchers, there is some evidence linking the recent (Not)Petya attacks with the BlackEnergy group - which became infamous for its targeted attacks against the Ukraine. At VB2016, ESET researchers Anton Cherepanov and Robert Lipovsky spoke about BlackEnergy, providing an overview of the group's attacks. Today, we publish their paper.

Read more  

Security advice in the wake of WannaCry and Not(Petya)

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jun 30, 2017

As WannaCry and (Not)Petya have shown, malware attacks can do a lot of damage. So is staying safe just a case of following good security advice?

Read more  

Search blog

April

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/04/

Microsoft Word for Mac exploit used in targeted attacks

Tibetan NGOs targeted.
Tibetan NGOs targeted. Researchers at Alienvault have discovered a targeted attack against Tibetan NGOs that uses a three-year-old vulnerability in Microsoft Office for Mac.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/microsoft-word-mac-exploit-used-targeted-attacks/

AV-Test issues latest results summary

Bi-monthly stats released for 31 consumer and business products.
Bi-monthly stats released for 31 consumer and business products. Independent testing body Av-Test.org has published its latest round of results, covering some 23 consumer products… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/av-test-issues-latest-results-summary/

Spam catch rates drop in latest VBSpam test

Catch rates significantly lower than in previous months.
Catch rates significantly lower than in previous months. In the latest VBSpam comparative test, 20 solutions achieved a VBSpam award, but the majority displayed significantly lower… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/spam-catch-rates-drop-latest-vbspam-test/

March issue of VB published

The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The March 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/march-issue-vb-published/

March

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/03/

'Unsubscribe' URL in junk fax leads to malware

Trojan downloader behind .co.cc URL.
Trojan downloader behind .co.cc URL. Researchers at Vircom have discovered a junk fax with an 'unsubscribe' URL which contained a trojan downloader. Junk faxes (also known as 'fax… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/unsubscribe-url-junk-fax-leads-malware/

New Zeus/SpyEye botnet does away with command-and-control servers

Increasing use of UDP to avoid communication tracking.
Increasing use of UDP to avoid communication tracking. Researchers at Symantec have discovered a new parallel build of Zeus (also known as Zbot) and SpyEye that appears to be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/new-zeus-spyeye-botnet-does-away-command-and-control-servers/

200-fold increase in HTML-attachment spam

Cutwail botnet likely behind campaign that sends users to Phoenix exploit kit.
Cutwail botnet likely behind campaign that sends users to Phoenix exploit kit. Researchers at M86 have reported a significant increase in the amount of spam sent with malicious… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/200-fold-increase-html-attachment-spam/

'Hotmail and Gmail have best spam filter' says Cascade spam test

Comparative test did not take false positives into account.
Comparative test did not take false positives into account. Researchers from Cascade Insights performed a comparative spam filtering test on the three major webmail providers and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/hotmail-and-gmail-have-best-spam-filter-says-cascade-spam-test/

February

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/

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 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/02/february-issue-vb-published/

Hacktivists hijack DNS of popular websites

Security at registrars may be weak link.
Security at registrars may be weak link. A hacktivist group has managed to redirect the traffic of two popular websites by hijacking their DNS settings, researchers at Internet… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/hacktivists-hijack-dns-popular-websites/

New RFC describes best practices for running DNS-based lists

DNSBL users advised to avoid those lists that charge for delisting.
DNSBL users advised to avoid those lists that charge for delisting. A new RFC document has been published that describes the best operational practices for the use of DNS-based… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/new-rfc-describes-best-practices-running-dns-based-lists/

Vulnerability turns McAfee's anti-malware solution into open relay

Flaw allows for spam to be sent through customers' PCs.
Flaw allows for spam to be sent through customers' PCs. A vulnerability discovered in McAfee's SaaS for Total Protection, the company's hosted anti-malware solution, effectively… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/vulnerability-turns-mcafee-s-anti-malware-solution-open-relay/

AV-Test releases latest results

Business and consumer products achieve high pass rate.
Business and consumer products achieve high pass rate. Independent testing lab AV-Test.org has released its latest batch of test results, with 23 consumer products and eight… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/av-test-releases-latest-results/

Sykipot trojan used to target smart cards

Defence companies among small number of targets.
Defence companies among small number of targets. Researchers at Alienvault have discovered a version of the 'Sykipot' trojan that is being used to target organisations that make… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/sykipot-trojan-used-target-smart-cards/

Spammers link to site containing QR code

Curious users may scan URL and end up on pharma websites.
Curious users may scan URL and end up on pharma websites. Researchers at Websense have discovered spam containing links to a site containing a QR code in which the spam's target… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/spammers-link-site-containing-qr-code/

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 2012 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/01/january-issue-vb-published/

2012

Latest news from the anti-virus industry provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
NewsDecember issue of VB published The December issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. 03 December 2012Virus Bulletin announces VBWeb tests for web… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2012/

We have placed cookies on your device in order to improve the functionality of this site, as outlined in our cookies policy. However, you may delete and block all cookies from this site and your use of the site will be unaffected. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to Virus Bulletin's use of data as outlined in our privacy policy.