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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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Search blog

Microsoft increases pressure on Apple to fix Safari blended threat

'Carpet bombing' vulnerability more serious than Apple claims, MS warns.
'Carpet bombing' vulnerability more serious than Apple claims, MS warns.Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer has come under frequent criticism for security vulnerabilities, has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/microsoft-increases-pressure-apple-fix-safari-blended-threat/

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 2008 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/june-issue-vb-published/

June

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/

Flash exploit used to steal gaming passwords

Despite initial panic, threat no longer believed to a zero-day exploit.
Despite initial panic, threat no longer believed to a zero-day exploit. In the past few days, thousands of websites have indirectly been serving malicious Adobe Flash (.SWF) files.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/flash-exploit-used-steal-gaming-passwords/

Almost half of users think virus-writing contests are a good idea

Shocking survey results disappoint security experts.
Shocking survey results disappoint security experts. Nearly half of the respondents in a Virus Bulletin poll said they thought that virus-writing contests are a useful way of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/almost-half-users-think-virus-writing-contests-are-good-idea/

MySpace wins record payout in case against spammers

'Spam Kings' Wallace and Rines fined maximum amount under federal law.
'Spam Kings' Wallace and Rines fined maximum amount under federal law. Social networking site MySpace has been awarded a record $230 million in a lawsuit it filed against… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/myspace-wins-record-payout-case-against-spammers/

Yahoo! searchers to get McAfee site advice

SiteAdvisor data to help check security of search results.
SiteAdvisor data to help check security of search results. Search engine giant Yahoo! has announced a deal with McAfee to incorporate site security ratings from the firm's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/yahoo-searchers-get-mcafee-site-advice/

Security experts gather in Europe

Anti-malware insights pooled at AMTSO, CARO and EICAR meetings.
Anti-malware insights pooled at AMTSO, CARO and EICAR meetings. Many of the world's leading anti-malware and security experts came together in the past week, at a string of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/security-experts-gather-europe/

Users divided about customer liability for online fraud losses

Many users worried about lack of knowledge.
Many users worried about lack of knowledge. In a poll of more than 700 visitors to the VB website, users were divided on whether or not it is fair for online banking customers to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/users-divided-about-customer-liability-online-fraud-losses/

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 2008 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/may-issue-vb-published/

May

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/05/

Cracked CAPTCHAs used to create malicious blogs

Blogs on Google's blogging system redirect to spam sites.
Blogs on Google's blogging system redirect to spam sites.Spammers are using botnets to mass-create phony blogs on Google's free Blogger system, with the phony entries redirecting… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/cracked-captchas-used-create-malicious-blogs/

Mass attack infects over half a million web pages

United Nations and UK Government sites among those infected by SQL injection.
United Nations and UK Government sites among those infected by SQL injection. Hackers have managed to insert malicious code into hundreds of thousands of websites, making their… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/mass-attack-infects-over-half-million-web-pages/

Phishing on rise, but anti-phishers fighting back

As UK banking body reports major increase in phishes, PayPal unveils blocking strategy.
As UK banking body reports major increase in phishes, PayPal unveils blocking strategy. A report from the UK payments industry association APACS has shown a dramatic increase in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/phishing-rise-anti-phishers-fighting-back/

China-Tibet row spills over into malware attacks

Both sides of debate targeted to spread malicious code.
Both sides of debate targeted to spread malicious code. With the political row over China's involvement in Tibet continuing to make the headlines, cybercriminals have been as quick… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/china-tibet-row-spills-over-malware-attacks/

More than 50% of users regularly double-check for false positive spam filtering

Only 12% of users trust their spam filter sufficiently not to bother sifting through spam folder.
Only 12% of users trust their spam filter sufficiently not to bother sifting through spam folder. In a poll of more than 1,000 visitors to the VB website, 52% of users say they… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/more-50-users-regularly-double-check-false-positive-spam-filtering/

HP ships infected USB keys

Autorun worms found on batch of server setup devices.
Autorun worms found on batch of server setup devices. A batch of USB thumb drives containing software intended to assist in the setup of servers have been found to contain some… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/hp-ships-infected-usb-keys/

Latest Patch Tuesday update released

Microsoft announces five 'critical' vulnerabilities need fixing.
Microsoft announces five 'critical' vulnerabilities need fixing.Microsoft has issued its monthly 'Patch Tuesday' security bulletin, with five 'critical' and three 'important'… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/latest-patch-tuesday-update-released/

'Kraken' monster botnet causing controversy

As latest botnet scare debated, Storm keeps on blowing.
As latest botnet scare debated, Storm keeps on blowing. Recent reports of a massive botnet, apparently sneaking its trojans past security software and far outnumbering better-known… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/kraken-monster-botnet-causing-controversy/

Google Groups and Blogspot used to serve malware

Company finds own IP address to be serving most malware.
Company finds own IP address to be serving most malware.Malware writers have created thousands of Google Groups with the sole purpose of serving malware, Sunbelt reports. On the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/google-groups-and-blogspot-used-serve-malware/

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