VB Blog

WordPress users urged to manually update to fix bug that prevents automatic updating

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 8, 2018

Users of the popular WordPress content management system are urged to manually update their installation to version 4.9.4, as a bug in the previous version broke the ability to automatically install updates.

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New paper: A review of the evolution of Andromeda over the years

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 7, 2018

The Andromeda botnet (aka Gamarue or Wauchos) has plagued Internet users for more than half a decade but, following a takedown effort and the arrest of the suspected botnet owner in December 2017, it is likely we have seen the end of it. In a new paper by Fortinet researchers Bahare Sabouri and He Xu, we look back at the evolution of Andromeda from version 2.06 to 2.10 and demonstrate both how it improved its loader to evade automatic analysis/detection and how the payload varied among the different versions.

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There is no evidence in-the-wild malware is using Meltdown or Spectre

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 2, 2018

Reports of malware using the Meltdown or Spectre attacks are likely based on proof-of-concept code rather than files written for a malicious purpose.

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Throwback Thursday: Malware taking a bit(coin) more than we bargained for

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 1, 2018

This Throwback Thursday, we republish the VB2012 paper by Microsoft researcher Amir Fouda, one of the earliest papers to look at malware targeting Bitcoin.

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First time speaker? Don't be afraid of submitting to the VB2018 CFP

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 31, 2018

We especially encourage those less experienced in speaking in public to submit to the call for papers for VB2018, where we aim to provide a friendly and welcoming environment in which people can both present their own research and learn from what others have been working on.

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VB2017 paper: VirusTotal tips, tricks and myths

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 25, 2018

At VB2017 in Madrid, security researcher Randy Abrams presented an overview of the VirusTotal service and then went on to bust several of the persistent myths that surround it. Today we publish both Randy's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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Healthcare CERTs highlight the need for security guidance for specific sectors

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 24, 2018

A new computer emergency response team has been launched in the Netherlands to provide guidance specifically tailored to the healthcare sector. Martijn Grooten welcomes the development.

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VB2018 call for papers now open!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 23, 2018

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 VB2018 is now open and we want to hear from you!

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Book review: Serious Cryptography

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 22, 2018

VB Editor Martijn Grooten recommends Jean-Philippe Aumasson's 'Serious Cryptography' as a very solid but practically focused introduction to cryptography.

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Necurs pump-and-dump spam campaign pushes obscure cryptocurrency

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 16, 2018

A Necurs pump-and-dump spam campaign pushing the lesser known Swisscoin botnet is mostly background noise for the Internet.

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Search blog

Ransomware returns

Trojan hides personal data, demands money with menaces.
Trojan hides personal data, demands money with menaces. A new version of a ransomware trojan has been sighted, recalling the warnings of two years ago when similar items first… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/ransomware-returns/

Study promotes challenge-response for anti-spam

Interactive system rated best blocker in questioned survey.
Interactive system rated best blocker in questioned survey. A study of anti-spam systems, using a bespoke scale to rate protection offered, has found the challenge-response method… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/study-promotes-challenge-response-anti-spam/

Microsoft files adware system patent

Ads could be targeted at users based on local system data.
Ads could be targeted at users based on local system data.Microsoft has filed a patent application for a new method of targeting advertising, using information on the contents of a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/microsoft-files-adware-system-patent/

MessageLabs may be next takeover target

Managed services provider thought ripe for acquisition.
Managed services provider thought ripe for acquisition. Managed security specialist MessageLabs has been labelled a likely candidate for takeover by one of the industry giants, in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/messagelabs-may-be-next-takeover-target/

Japan to tighten spam laws

Proposals to further restrict email and phone spamming.
Proposals to further restrict email and phone spamming. The Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is planning a series of improvements to current anti-spam… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/japan-tighten-spam-laws/

26 phishing arrests in Italy

Police swoop on Poste Italiane spam scam gangs.
Police swoop on Poste Italiane spam scam gangs. In a first for Italy, the Guardia Di Finanza has made 26 arrests from two separate groups of phishing fraudsters, in the culmination… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/26-phishing-arrests-italy/

Security industry future looks solid, say analysts

Reports predict revenues will continue rising.
Reports predict revenues will continue rising. Analyst firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA) has released its latest report on the future of the IT security market, predicting… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/security-industry-future-looks-solid-say-analysts/

Sony sues maker of MediaMax DRM system

CD protection developer accused of damaging Sony name.
CD protection developer accused of damaging Sony name.Sony BMG, the division of the Sony group embroiled in a long-running scandal after releasing a number of CDs using suspect… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/sony-sues-maker-mediamax-drm-system/

Symantec, AVG suffer problems

Vulnerabilities and false positives strike major products.
Vulnerabilities and false positives strike major products.Symantec users have been warned of some serious issues with archive handling, across a wide range of software produced by… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/symantec-avg-suffer-problems/

Microsoft opens security 'portal'

New site carries prevalence data, updates and malware resources.
New site carries prevalence data, updates and malware resources. Security teams at Microsoft have been busy this week, with the full unveiling of the Microsoft Malware Protection… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/microsoft-opens-security-portal/

Controversy over IE-to-Firefox exploit

MS and Mozilla in row over blame for cross-browser attack.
MS and Mozilla in row over blame for cross-browser attack. An exploit which involves browsing to a malicious website using Internet Explorer, but then launches an attack via a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/controversy-over-ie-firefox-exploit/

7 flaws fixed in July Patch Tuesday release

Critical patches issued for Excel, Active Directory and .NET.
Critical patches issued for Excel, Active Directory and .NET.Microsoft has released a total of seven patches in its monthly 'Patch Tuesday' security update, with three of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/7-flaws-fixed-july-patch-tuesday-release/

SEC brings case against pump-and-dump spammers

Scam spotted after spammed mail sent to SEC lawyer.
Scam spotted after spammed mail sent to SEC lawyer. Two men from Texas have been charged with a range of spam and fraud offences after a 20-month campaign using botnets to spam… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/sec-brings-case-against-pump-and-dump-spammers/

Spoof Spamhaus ads spammed out

Mail campaign claims to promote spam fighters.
Mail campaign claims to promote spam fighters. Spam-fighting organisation Spamhaus has been subjected to an attack on its reputation this week, with a sizeable campaign of spams… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/spoof-spamhaus-ads-spammed-out/

Trojan using webmail to send spam

Captcha systems possibly cracked to automate account creation.
Captcha systems possibly cracked to automate account creation.BitDefender has reported a new trojan attempting to bypass security measures on leading webmail systems Hotmail and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/trojan-using-webmail-send-spam/

Kaspersky sues Rising

Feuding AV firms to fight it out in court.
Feuding AV firms to fight it out in court.Kaspersky's Chinese subsidiary has brought a court case against local rival Rising, after an escalating war of words between the two… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/kaspersky-sues-rising/

Fake malware infection alerts spammed out

Latest spam run masquerades as malware warning and fix.
Latest spam run masquerades as malware warning and fix. The group behind last week's Fourth of July spams are thought to be behind another campaign this week, with messages… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/fake-malware-infection-alerts-spammed-out/

Google buys Postini

Managed security service snapped up by giant.
Managed security service snapped up by giant. Ever-expanding web giant Google has continued its growth into both security and software-as-service spheres with the $625 million… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/google-buys-postini/

Battle over Blackberry spyware threat

Spy tool for popular device claims to be legitimate.
Spy tool for popular device claims to be legitimate. The expansion of the FlexiSpy mobile device snooping software, originally available only for the Symbian platform but with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/battle-over-blackberry-spyware-threat/

Fourth of July targeted by trojan spam

Celebration card emails carry links to malware.
Celebration card emails carry links to malware. A further wave of greetings-card spam has been widely seeded, in the wake of considerable Storm Worm activity in the last week, with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/fourth-july-targeted-trojan-spam/

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