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.

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Despite the profitability of ransomware there is a good reason why mining malware is thriving

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.

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VB2017 preview: Crypton - exposing malware's deepest secrets

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.

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VB2017 preview: Hacktivism and website defacement: motivations, capabilities and potential threats

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.

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Three questions to ask about security product bypasses

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.

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VB2017: WHOIS and EICAR Small Talks added

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.

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VB2017: nine last-minute papers announced

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.

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Patching is important even when it only shows the maturity of your security process

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.

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Massive data breach confirms what you already knew: you are getting spam

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.

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VB2017 preview: State of cybersecurity in Africa: Kenya

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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Search blog

'Direct' cost of malware infections on the decline

Report finds direct costs from malware infections declined over last two years.
Report finds direct costs from malware infections declined over last two years. A report by Computer Economics has stated that the financial impact of malware infections fell to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/direct-cost-malware-infections-decline/

Spammer enters guilty plea

Admits to having spammed 1.2 million AOL customers.
Admits to having spammed 1.2 million AOL customers. A Brooklyn man has pleaded guilty to having sent spam messages to over 1.2 million AOL customers in August 2005. According to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/spammer-enters-guilty-plea/

Serious holes in Yahoo! Messenger

Critical vulnerabilities fully disclosed.
Critical vulnerabilities fully disclosed. Two security flaws in the popular Yahoo! Messenger communications software have been reported, with full details available online before a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/serious-holes-yahoo-messenger/

Spam barrages take down filters, networks

Report shows increase in spam bombardment attacks.
Report shows increase in spam bombardment attacks.MessageLabs' monthly report on the latest trends in spam has warned of an alarming rise in 'spam spikes', targeted attacks which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/spam-barrages-take-down-filters-networks/

Amero case sent for retrial

Spyware popup teacher told earlier trial was flawed.
Spyware popup teacher told earlier trial was flawed. Connecticut temporary teaching assistant Julie Amero, convicted of exposing minors to danger when a classroom computer she had… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/amero-case-sent-retrial/

Microsoft details 'Stirling' integrated suite

Comprehensive security product promised in next-gen Forefront.
Comprehensive security product promised in next-gen Forefront.Microsoft, whose Forefront corporate anti-malware system is the latest step in a continuing onslaught on the security… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/microsoft-details-stirling-integrated-suite/

Online malware dangers analysed

Google, McAfee release webserver, search result figures.
Google, McAfee release webserver, search result figures. Two reports out this week have revealed some interesting statistics on the security dangers involved in browsing the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/online-malware-dangers-analysed/

CA struck by vulnerability

CAB handling issue affects swathe of products.
CAB handling issue affects swathe of products. Two flaws related to the handling of CAB archive files by the CA anti-virus engine have been reported, rendering products across CA's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/ca-struck-vulnerability/

Pestilent spammer arrested

Another 'spam king' locked up.
Another 'spam king' locked up. A man described by anti-spam organisation Spamhaus as 'one of the most persistent professional spammers' was arrested in Seattle late last month… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/pestilent-spammer-arrested/

Anti-spam laws take hold in Hong Kong

Tough new controls aim at stamping out spam.
Tough new controls aim at stamping out spam. Hong Kong has become the latest place to see the introduction of anti-spam laws, with the first phase of a two-stage process coming… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/anti-spam-laws-take-hold-hong-kong/

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 2007 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/june-issue-vb-published/

Vulnerabilities galore

May was a month of flaw revelations, with vulnerabilities being disclosed in the products of no fewer than nine security vendors.
May was a month of flaw revelations, with vulnerabilities being disclosed in the products of no fewer than nine security vendors. May was a month of flaw revelations, with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/vulnerabilities-galore/

June

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/

Vulnerabilities strike more AV firms, and Mac too

F-Secure and Authentium patch holes, while Samba flaws worry Apple users.
F-Secure and Authentium patch holes, while Samba flaws worry Apple users. Users of Mac OS X, used to a cosy sense of security, have been warned of possible penetration vectors… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/vulnerabilities-strike-more-av-firms-and-mac-too/

Symantec sued for false positive

Chinese FP issue leads to court case.
Chinese FP issue leads to court case. A Chinese lawyer has begun court proceedings against security firm Symantec, claiming damages as a result of the widely-publicised false… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/symantec-sued-false-positive/

Another 'Spam King' arrested

Spammer brought to book after 4-year campaign.
Spammer brought to book after 4-year campaign. A Seattle man was indicted yesterday on numerous charges of fraud and deception in relation to a campaign of spamming dating back to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/another-spam-king-arrested/

Google buys into security

Google makes stealth purchase of security firm.
Google makes stealth purchase of security firm. Search and entertainment giant Google completed the purchase of Internet security firm GreenBorder Technologies in mid-May - but… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/google-buys-security/

Google stashing adware on Dell systems, says OpenDNS founder

Toolbar partnership accused of devious spyware tactics.
Toolbar partnership accused of devious spyware tactics. The partnership between search giant Google and hardware behemoth Dell, which has led to the popular Google Toolbar being… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/google-stashing-adware-dell-systems-says-opendns-founder/

Overflows hit NOD32

Vulnerabilities disclosed after patching.
Vulnerabilities disclosed after patching. Two stack-overflow vulnerabilities have been disclosed in Eset's flagship NOD32 AntiVirus product, which could have been exploited to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/overflows-hit-nod32/

IETF accepts DKIM specification as proposed standard

Email authentication system moves to approval stage.
Email authentication system moves to approval stage. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the body overseeing the technical running of the Internet, has accepted a new… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/ietf-accepts-dkim-specification-proposed-standard/

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