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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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VB tests the web security products that play an important role in fending off web-based threats

The web continues to be a major infection vector for malware and credential-stealing threats. In the VBWeb tests, we measure products' ability to block such threats and certify products that perform a good job at doing so.
The web continues to be a major infection vector for individuals and organisations alike. Though the number of drive-by download attacks (often through exploit kits) is down from… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/vb-tests-web-security-products-play-important-role-fending-web-based-threats/

VB2019 papers: Emotet and Ryuk

Today we publish VB2019 papers by Luca Nagy (Sophos) on Emotet and Gabriela Nicolao and Luciano Martins (Deloitte) on Ryuk, as well as the corresponding videos of their presentations.
Shinigami’s revenge: the long tail of the Ryuk malware Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) Exploring Emotet, an elaborate everyday enigma Read the paper… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/vb2019-papers-emotet-and-ryuk/

Responsible madness?

The debate on responsible disclosure is about as old as IT security itself. In a guest post for Virus Bulletin Robert Neumann suggests we need to reconsider a one-size-fits-all solution and instead look for a well-respected independent organization to han…
The debate on responsible disclosure is about as old as IT security itself. In a guest post for Virus Bulletin Robert Neumann suggests we need to reconsider a one-size-fits-all… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/responsible-madness/

VB2019 paper: Geost botnet. The story of the discovery of a new Android banking trojan from an OpSec error

OpSec mistakes are what lead to many malware discoveries, and in the case of the Geost Android botnet the mistake was a really interesting one. Today we publish the VB2019 paper by Sebastian García, Maria Jose Erquiaga and Anna Shirokova on the Geost botn…
Geost botnet. The story of the discovery of a new Android banking trojan from an OpSec error Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) OpSec mistakes… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/vb2019-paper-geost-botnet-story-discovery-new-android-banking-trojan-opsec-error/

Analysis of malware responsible for sextortion spam that mines for Monero on the side

VB2019 Platinum partner Reason Cybersecurity presents a threat analysis report on the Save Yourself malware.
Reason Cybersecurity was one of the Platinum partners of VB2019. After a guest blog post published earlier this month, their researchers have written an analysis of malware they… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/analysis-malware-responsible-sextortion-spam-mines-monero-side/

Guest blog: Threat intelligence – a unifying force of the future

In a guest blog post VB2019 Platinum partner Reason Cybersecurity looks to the future of threat intelligence.
In a guest blog post VB2019 Platinum partner Reason Cybersecurity looks to the future of threat intelligence. The advent of the Internet and Internet-enabled technologies… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/guest-blog-threat-intelligence-unifying-force-future/

October

https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/10/

Guest blog: Why we should be paying more attention to Linux threats

In a guest blog post VB2019 Silver partner Intezer outlines the importance of paying attention to Linux threats.
In a guest blog post VB2019 Silver partner Intezer outlines the importance of paying more attention to Linux threats. In a previous blog post written for the Retail and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/guest-blog-why-we-should-be-paying-more-attention-linux-threats/

New Emotet spam campaign continues to bypass email security products

On Monday, the infamous Emotet malware resumed its spam campaign to spread the latest version of the malware. As before, the malware successfully bypasses many email security products.
Following the resumption of activity by Emotet's C&C servers in August, it was only a matter of time before the botnet started sending out spam again. This did indeed happen on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/new-emotet-spam-campaign-continues-bypass-email-security-products/

Book review: Cyberdanger: Understanding and Guarding Against Cybercrime

Security researcher Paul Baccas reviews Eddy Willems' book 'Cyberdanger'.
Security researcher Paul Baccas reviews 'Cyberdanger: Understanding and Guarding Against Cybercrime' by Eddy Willems Title: Cyberdanger: Understanding and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/book-review-cyberdanger-understanding-and-guarding-against-cybercrime/

Programme for VB2019 Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summit announced

In the mini-summit, which forms part of VB2019 (the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference), eight sessions will focus on all aspects of threat intelligence collecting, using and sharing.
In its almost 30-year history, the Virus Bulletin Conference has evolved to become perhaps the most international threat intelligence event of the year. This is yet again… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/programme-vb2019-threat-intelligence-practitioners-summit-announced/

Guest blog: TotalAV uncovers the world’s first ransomware

In a guest blog post by VB2019 Silver partner TotalAV, Matthew Curd, the software’s Technical Expert, considers the changes in the cybersecurity landscape.
In a guest blog post by VB2019 Silver partner TotalAV, Matthew Curd, the software’s Technical Expert, considers the changes in the cybersecurity landscape. Rediscovered in an… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/guest-blog-totalav-uncovers-worlds-first-ransomware/

VB2019 preview: Small Talks

We preview the five Small Talks on the VB2019 programme in which important topics are discussed in a less formal atmosphere.
Those who attend security conferences know the importance of 'hallcon': the conversations that take place in the corridors in between sessions or sometimes between people who have… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/vb2019-preview-small-talks/

Guest blog: Targeted attacks with public tools

Over the last few years SE Labs has tested more than 50 different security products against over 5,000 targeted attacks. In this guest blog post Stefan Dumitrascu, Chief Technical Officer at SE Labs, looks at the different attack tools available, how effe…
Over the last few years, SE Labs has tested more than 50 different security products against over 5,000 targeted attacks. In this guest blog post Stefan Dumitrascu, Chief… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/guest-blog-targeted-attacks-public-tools/

September

https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/

VB2019 preview: Problem child: common patterns in malicious parent-child relationships

We preview the VB2019 paper by Endgame researcher Bobby Filar, who created a graph-based framework designed to detect malicious use of legitimate binaries through parent-child relationships.
Living-off-the-land binaries, often referred to as LOLbins, are legitimate (Windows) binaries used for malicious purposes. Their use has increased in malware campaigns in recent… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/09/vb2019-preview-problem-child-common-patterns-malicious-parent-child-relationships/

VB2019 preview: Inside Magecart: the history behind the covert card-skimming assault on the e-commerce industry

We preview the VB2019 paper by RiskIQ researcher Yonathan Klijnsma on the Magecart web skimming attacks.
Half a decade ago, breaches of point-of-sale (POS) systems were a real plague, especially in North America, with the 2013 Target breach perhaps the best known example. Though… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/08/vb2019-preview-inside-magecart-history-behind-covert-card-skimming-assault-e-commerce-industry/

VB2019 call for last-minute papers closes on Sunday (1 Sept)

Your last chance to get a speaking slot on the VB2019 programme with a talk on hot research!
The majority of the VB2019 programme was announced in April, and though we like to see VB as a conference that looks beyond the hype, we are more than a little proud that several… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/08/vb2019-call-last-minute-papers-closes-sunday-1st-sept/

21 organisations partner with VB2019

Record number of partner organisations for the Virus Bulletin Conference reflects very broad and international event.
Three months after we announced the first 14 partners and supporting organisations for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin Conference, seven more organisations have signed up to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/08/21-organisations-partner-vb2019/

VB2019 preview: Exploring Emotet, an elaborate everyday enigma

We preview the VB2019 paper by Sophos researcher Luca Nagy, who dives deeply into the notorious Emotet malware.
Active since 2014, initially as a banking trojan, Emotet has been a plague on the Internet in recent years. Emotet's core strength is its ability to download other malware, thus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/08/vb2019-preview-exploring-emotet-elaborate-everyday-enigma/

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