VB Blog

Paying a malware ransom is bad, but telling people never to do it is unhelpful advice

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 26, 2016

The current ransomware plague is one of the worst threats the Internet has seen and it is unlikely to go away any time soon. But telling people to never pay the ransom is unhelpful advice.

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VB2015 paper: VolatilityBot: Malicious Code Extraction Made by and for Security Researchers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 22, 2016

In his VB2015 paper, Martin Korman presented his 'VolatilyBot' tool, which extracts malicious code from packed binaries, leveraging the functionality of the Volatility Framework.

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VB2016 programme announced, registration opened

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 21, 2016

We have announced 37 papers (and four reserve papers) that will be presented at VB2016 in Denver, Colorado, USA in October. Registration for the conference has opened; make sure you register before 1 July to benefit from a 10% early bird discount.

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New tool helps ransomware victims indentify the malware family

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 15, 2016

The people behind the MalwareHunterTeam have released a tool that helps victims of ransomware identify which of more than 50 families has infected their system, something which could help them find a tool to decrypt their files.

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It's fine for vulnerabilities to have names — we just need not to take them too seriously

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 13, 2016

The PR campaign around the Badlock vulnerability backfired when it turned out that the vulnerability wasn't as serious as had been suggested. But naming vulnerabilities can actually be helpful and certainly shouldn't hurt.

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Throwback Thursday: The Number of the Beasts

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Apr 7, 2016

The Virus Bulletin Virus Prevalence Table, which ran from 1992 until 2013, gave users a regular snapshot of what was really going on in the virus (and later malware) world, recording the number of incidents of each virus reported to VB in the preceding month. In August 2000, Denis Zenkin, a self-confessed virus prevalence table junkie, shared his findings following a study of the virus prevalence tables over the preceding few years, allowing him to determine the top ten viruses of the period, the top viruses by type and the viruses of the year.

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Paper: All Your Meetings Are Belong to Us: Remote Code Execution in Apache OpenMeetings

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 30, 2016

Security researcher Andreas Lindh recently found a vulnerability in Apache OpenMeetings that could allow remote code execution on a vulnerable server. Andreas reported the vulnerability to the OpenMeetings developers and, once it had been patched, he wrote up the details.

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Throwback Thursday: 'In the Beginning was the Word...'

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 24, 2016

Word and Excel’s internal file formats used to be something in which few were interested – until macro viruses came along and changed all that. In 1996, Andrew Krukov provided an overview of the new breed of viruses.

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VB2016 Call for Papers Deadline

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 18, 2016

You have until the early hours (GMT) of Monday 21 March to submit an abstract for VB2016! The VB2016 programme will be announced in the first week of April.

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How broken is SHA-1 really?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 15, 2016

SHA-1 collisions may be found in the next few months, but that doesn't mean that fake SHA-1-based certificates will be created in the near future. Nevertheless, it is time for everyone, and those working in security in particular, to move away from outdated hash functions.

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Search blog

Fake updates and phony postcards carry malware

Microsoft patch and greetings card spams bring more trojans.
Microsoft patch and greetings card spams bring more trojans. Several spam runs posing as vulnerability alerts from Microsoft have been spotted in the last week, with links to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/fake-updates-and-phony-postcards-carry-malware/

NOD32 alerts on suspect adverts

False positive reveals sneaky techniques used in ads.
False positive reveals sneaky techniques used in ads.ESET's NOD32 product was updated several times in close succession over the weekend, as false positives were introduced… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/nod32-alerts-suspect-adverts/

Spammer offers new service

Spammer turns court order into money-making opportunity.
Spammer turns court order into money-making opportunity. Wily email marketer/spammer (depending on your viewpoint) David Linhardt, famed for suing UK spam-fighting organization… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/spammer-offers-new-service/

Challenge Blue Pill

Researcher challenged to prove 100% undetectable rootkit claim.
Researcher challenged to prove 100% undetectable rootkit claim. Joanna Rutkowska, the security researcher who last year claimed that she can create 100% undetectable malware, has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/challenge-blue-pill/

Pity poor MS Security workers

MS Security rated 6th worst job in science.
MS Security rated 6th worst job in science. Spare a thought this month for the staff of the Microsoft Security Response Center who, according to Popular Science magazine, have the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/pity-poor-ms-security-workers/

July

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/

Advance diary dates: VB2008

VB announces VB2008.
VB announces VB2008. VB is pleased to announce that VB2008 will take place 1-3 October 2008 in Ottawa, Canada. Reserve the dates and start making your travel plans now! If you… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/advance-diary-dates/

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 2007 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/july-issue-vb-published/

Symantec presenter spotted using KAV

Another update embarrassment as rival software pops up.
Another update embarrassment as rival software pops up. After the recent damaging false positive incident in China, which has led Symantec to offer free software to those hit by… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/symantec-presenter-spotted-using-kav/

US porn spammers convicted

Two found guilty of CAN-SPAM breaches.
Two found guilty of CAN-SPAM breaches. A federal jury in Phoenix, Arizona, has found two men guilty of two charges of violating the US CAN-SPAM regulations, as well as other… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/us-porn-spammers-convicted/

Spanish mobile malware suspect arrested

28-year-old charged with Cabir/Commwarrior crimes.
28-year-old charged with Cabir/Commwarrior crimes. An unnamed man has been arrested in Valencia, Spain, on suspicion of creating and spreading 20 variants of the Cabir and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/spanish-mobile-malware-suspect-arrested/

100,000 new phishing sites set up in 7 days

IBM sees huge rise in kit-build scam sites.
IBM sees huge rise in kit-build scam sites. Phishing watchers at IBM's X-Force research team have recorded an enormous burst of phishing activity in the last seven days, with over… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/100-000-new-phishing-sites-set-7-days/

UK users ignoring security issues

Surveys find public in the dark and careless about sensitive data.
Surveys find public in the dark and careless about sensitive data. Several surveys out this week have shown the UK public is failing to take basic security precautions to protect… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/uk-users-ignoring-security-issues/

Latest VB100 announced

Products for 64-bit Windows Vista to be tested.
Products for 64-bit Windows Vista to be tested. VB has issued a call for submissions for the latest VB100 comparative review, with products for the 64-bit version of Microsoft… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/latest-announced/

China steps up fight against spammers

Blacklist aims to reduce massive spamming levels.
Blacklist aims to reduce massive spamming levels. Chinese web organisation the Internet Society of China (ISC) has announced the setting up of a central anti-spam blacklist, to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/china-steps-fight-against-spammers/

Mpack packs punch in Italy

10,000 sites carrying exploits in large-scale attack.
10,000 sites carrying exploits in large-scale attack. Sophisticated remote-exploit attack kit 'Mpack' has been spotted in use in increasingly large numbers throughout Europe, with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/mpack-packs-punch-italy/

Phisher gets six years

Californian receives 70-month prison sentence, avoids 101 years behind bars.
Californian receives 70-month prison sentence, avoids 101 years behind bars. A Californian man, found guilty in January this year of operating a phishing scheme aimed at scamming… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/phisher-gets-six-years/

FBI serves up Operation Bot Roast

Investigations identify more than 1 million victim IP addresses.
Investigations identify more than 1 million victim IP addresses. The FBI has announced the results of an ongoing initiative, dubbed 'Operation Bot Roast', which is aimed at… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/fbi-serves-operation-bot-roast/

4 critical flaws patched this Patch Tuesday

Microsoft's June Security Bulletin covers range of vulnerabilities.
Microsoft's June Security Bulletin covers range of vulnerabilities.Microsoft's latest 'Patch Tuesday' security bulletin, released yesterday, includes fixes for six vulnerabilities,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/4-critical-flaws-patched-patch-tuesday/

Bugs found in Apple's new Windows browser within hours of release

Safari not so good-y.
Safari not so good-y. A number of security researchers say they found bugs in Apple's brand new web browser Safari for Windows just hours after its public beta release on 11 June.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/bugs-found-apple-s-new-windows-browser-within-hours-release/

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