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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A third of anti-malware products fail to secure Vista Business Edition, Virus Bulletin reveals

VB urges industry to work harder at quality assurance.
VB urges industry to work harder at quality assurance. Virus Bulletin has revealed that, out of 54 anti-malware products tested, 19 failed to reach the standard required for VB100… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/third-anti-malware-products-fail-secure-vista-business-edition-reveals/

Firefox 4 crack spreads trojan

'Cracked' versions of free software used to spread malware
'Cracked' versions of free software used to spread malware In a new malware campaign, users are told they can download a free crack of the Firefox 4 browser, only to find… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/firefox-4-crack-spreads-trojan/

August

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/

August issue of VB published

The August issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The August issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The August 2010 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/august-issue-vb-published/

July issue of VB published

The July issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The July issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The July 2010 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/07/july-issue-vb-published/

July

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/07/

Microsoft sues alleged spammer for gaming Hotmail's spam filter

Messages marked as 'not spam' from phony web mail accounts.
Messages marked as 'not spam' from phony web mail accounts. Connecticut spammer Boris Mizhen and several companies controlled by him have been sued by Microsoft for sending… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/06/microsoft-sues-alleged-spammer-gaming-hotmail-s-spam-filter/

Patches come thick and fast in major update spree

Monthly and out-of-band issues flood admins' to-do lists.
Monthly and out-of-band issues flood admins' to-do lists. The release of this month's Patch Tuesday security bulletins from Microsoft, with a fairly average 10 alerts covering 34… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/06/patches-come-thick-and-fast-major-update-spree/

Latest VB100 announced

Solutions for Windows Vista to be put through their paces.
Solutions for Windows Vista to be put through their paces. The latest round of VB100 testing has been announced, with a comparative to be run on Microsoft's Windows Vista in July.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/06/latest-announced/

June

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/06/

June issue of VB published

The June issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The June issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The June 2010 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/06/june-issue-vb-published/

ESET buys COMDOM

Security vendor strengthens anti-spam capabilities.
Security vendor strengthens anti-spam capabilities. Slovakian security vendor ESET has announced the acquisition of Slovakian anti-spam firm COMDOM Software. The anti-spam firm's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/eset-buys-comdom/

Symantec to acquire VeriSign business

Vendor splashes out more cash on authentication.
Vendor splashes out more cash on authentication.Symantec, the AV vendor with a reputation for snapping up other companies, has announced its purchase of VeriSign's authentication… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/symantec-acquire-verisign-business/

Mariposa bot herders apply for job with security firm

Applicants weren't successful, but may not see prison either.
Applicants weren't successful, but may not see prison either.Panda Labs' Luis Corrons believed he was the victim if a practical joke when two people who had been involved in the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/mariposa-bot-herders-apply-job-security-firm/

Contract spam serving malware

Recipients made to believe they have been sent emails accidentally.
Recipients made to believe they have been sent emails accidentally. In a new campaign, spammers are sending out emails that have appear to have contracts attached to them, but… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/contract-spam-serving-malware/

McAfee offers payments to cover FP cleanup costs

Compensation for faulty update victims could set precedent.
Compensation for faulty update victims could set precedent. Victims of the erroneous McAfee DAT update last month are being offered cash payments to cover costs incurred in fixing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/mcafee-offers-payments-cover-fp-cleanup-costs/

Sophos bought up by investment firm

APAX Partners acquires major stake in $830 million company.
APAX Partners acquires major stake in $830 million company.Sophos has announced that a majority share of the company will be sold to major private investment firm APAX Partners, in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/sophos-bought-investment-firm/

Symantec buys key pair of encryption firms

PGP and GuardianEdge snapped up in surprise dual acquisition.
PGP and GuardianEdge snapped up in surprise dual acquisition.Symantec has announced the acquisition of two separate firms specialising in encryption and email security. The deals… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/symantec-buys-key-pair-encryption-firms/

May

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/

May issue of VB published

The May issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The May issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The May 2010 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/05/may-issue-vb-published/

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