VB Blog

VB2018 paper: Little Brother is watching – we know all your secrets!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 1, 2019

At VB2018 in Montreal, researchers from Fraunhofer SIT looked at privacy vulnerabilities in legitimate Android family-tracking apps that leaked location data. Today, we publish both their paper and the video of their presentation.

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Threat intelligence teams should consider recruiting journalists

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 29, 2019

Threat intelligence teams would do well to recruit journalists, whose experience is crucial in today's threat landscape.

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From HSBC to product descriptions: the malicious emails bypassing your filters

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 28, 2019

Using data from our VBSpam lab, we looked at the malicious emails that have been missed recently by a large number of email security products.

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VB2018 paper: Inside Formbook infostealer

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 25, 2019

The Formbook information-stealing trojan may not be APT-grade malware, but its continuing spread means it can still be effective. At VB2018 in Montreal, Gabriela Nicolao, a researcher from Deloitte in Argentina, presented a short paper in which she looked at Formbook's background and history and analysed a sample of the malware. Today, we publish Gabriela's paper.

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The VB2019 CFP - how the selection procedure works

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 24, 2019

With the VB2019 Call for Papers having opened last week, we explain how the selection procedure works, which may help you during your abstract submission.

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VB2018 paper: From Hacking Team to hacked team to…?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 18, 2019

Today we publish the VB2018 paper and video by ESET researcher Filip Kafka, who looked at the new malware by Hacking Team, after the company had recovered from the 2015 breach.

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The spam that is hardest to block is often the most damaging

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 17, 2019

We see a lot of spam in the VBSpam test lab, and we also see how well such emails are being blocked by email security products. Worryingly, it is often the emails with a malicious attachment or a phishing link that are most likely to be missed.

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Throwback Thursday: We're all doomed

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jan 17, 2019

Mydoom turns 15 this month, and is still being seen in email attachments. This Throwback Thursday we look back to March 2004, when Gabor Szappanos tracked the rise of W32/Mydoom.

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VB2019 call for papers - now open!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 15, 2019

Have you analysed a new online threat? Do you know a new way to defend against such threats? Are you tasked with securing systems and fending off attacks? The call for papers for VB2019 is now open and we want to hear from you!

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VB2018 paper: Unpacking the packed unpacker: reversing an Android anti-analysis library

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 14, 2019

Today, we publish a VB2018 paper by Google researcher Maddie Stone in which she looks at one of the most interesting anti-analysis native libraries in the Android ecosystem. We also release the recording of Maddie's presentation.

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Search blog

11 out of 26 anti-virus products fail VB100 certification

VB reveals which products failed to meet VB100 certification criteria, and updated 'RAP quadrant' showing Reactive And Proactive detection abilities.
VB reveals which products failed to meet VB100 certification criteria, and updated 'RAP quadrant' showing Reactive And Proactive detection abilities.Virus Bulletin has revealed the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/10/11-out-26-anti-virus-products-fail-certification/

Webmail data leak hype deflated

Rumoured phishing explosion grabs headlines, reality much more mundane.
Rumoured phishing explosion grabs headlines, reality much more mundane. This week has seen some major news organisations picking up on the story of tens of thousands of sets of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/10/webmail-data-leak-hype-deflated/

Microsoft steps into free AV market

Security Essentials release creates expected storm of words.
Security Essentials release creates expected storm of words.Microsoft's release of its free Security Essentials product this week sparked the expected barrage of views and opinions… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/10/microsoft-steps-free-av-market/

October

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/10/

October issue of VB published

The October issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The October issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The October 2009 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/10/october-issue-vb-published/

Latest AV-Comparatives test results released

High scores as 7 out of 16 graded Advanced+ in on demand tests
High scores as 7 out of 16 graded Advanced+ in on demand tests Independent testing body AV-Comparatives have released the results of their latest round of on demand anti-malware… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/09/latest-av-comparatives-test-results-released/

Rogue AV claims to send money to environmental causes

'Green AV' best added to blacklist to avoid red faces.
'Green AV' best added to blacklist to avoid red faces. In an attempt to lure users into buying it, the rogue anti-malware product Green AV claims to send US$2 per purchased product… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/09/rogue-av-claims-send-money-environmental-causes/

September

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/09/

September issue of VB published

The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The September 2009 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/09/september-issue-vb-published/

Take-down of rogue ISP sees temporary drop in spam levels

Spam levels back to normal within a few days.
Spam levels back to normal within a few days. The take-down of the rogue ISP Real Host on 1 August saw spam levels temporarily drop by more than a third, Messagelabs claims in its… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/take-down-rogue-isp-sees-temporary-drop-spam-levels/

Unspam files lawsuit against unnamed cybercrooks

Anti-spam firm hopes to force banks to share more information on attacks.
Anti-spam firm hopes to force banks to share more information on attacks.Unspam Technologies, the company behind Project Honey Pot, has filed a lawsuit against unnamed 'John Does',… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/unspam-files-lawsuit-against-unnamed-cybercrooks/

Anti-Obama sentiments used in spam campaign

'DDoS software' turns out to be malware.
'DDoS software' turns out to be malware. In a new spam campaign users are being urged to participate in a DDoS attack on the website of American president Barack Obama in protest… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/anti-obama-sentiments-used-spam-campaign/

ICANN adopts new domain tasting policy

'Free temporary registrations' come to an end.
'Free temporary registrations' come to an end. A new policy adopted by ICANN, the organization responsible for the assignment of domain names and IP addresses, has brought the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/icann-adopts-new-domain-tasting-policy/

Yahoo! re-opens e-postage discussion

'CentMail' to benefit charities, harm spammers.
'CentMail' to benefit charities, harm spammers. Online giant Yahoo! has launched a website to give a charitable twist to the old idea of combating spam by making senders pay a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/yahoo-re-opens-e-postage-discussion/

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 2009 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/august-issue-vb-published/

August

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/08/

McColo shutdown not felt the same by all recipients

Mailbox-level reduction may depend on spam detection methods.
Mailbox-level reduction may depend on spam detection methods. When the rogue provider McColo was taken offline in November 2008, depriving many botnets of their command and control… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/07/mccolo-shutdown-not-felt-same-all-recipients/

Yxe trojan infecting mobile phones

Symbian software-signing slipup certifies SMS spambot.
Symbian software-signing slipup certifies SMS spambot. A new trojan, the first of its kind, is affecting users of the Symbian mobile operating system by spreading itself via text… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/07/yxe-trojan-infecting-mobile-phones/

Call for last-minute technical papers

Submissions invited for technical 'turbo' talks at VB Geneva.
Submissions invited for technical 'turbo' talks at VB Geneva. Virus Bulletin is seeking submissions from those wishing to present last-minute technical papers at VB2009. The VB… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/07/call-last-minute-technical-papers/

Five botnets responsible for 75% of spam sent

Each infected machine sends spam at rate of almost two messages per second.
Each infected machine sends spam at rate of almost two messages per second.Spam levels have increased 60% since the beginning of this year, according to security company Marshal8e6… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/07/five-botnets-responsible-75-spam-sent/

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