VB Blog

Paper: New Keylogger on the Block

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jul 5, 2016

In a new paper published by Virus Bulletin, Sophos researcher Gabor Szappanos takes a look at the KeyBase keylogger, sold as a commercial product and popular among cybercriminals who use it in Office exploit kits.

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BSides Denver to take place the day after VB2016

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jun 28, 2016

VB2016, the 26th International Virus Bulletin conference, is an excellent reason to go to Denver, Colorado in the first week of October. But there is another reason to come to Denver: BSides Denver, which will take place the day after VB2016, on Saturday 8 October 2016.

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VB2015 paper: DDoS Trojan: A Malicious Concept that Conquered the ELF Format

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jun 13, 2016

In their VB2015 paper, Peter Kálnai and Jaromír Hořejší look at the current state of DDoS trojans forming covert botnets on unsuspecting systems. The paper provides a technical analysis of the most important malware families, focusing on infection methods, dynamic behaviour, C&C communication, obfuscation techniques, advanced methods of persistence and stealth, and elimination of rivals.

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Throwback Thursday: Hyppönen, that Data Fellow / Finnish Sprayer

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jun 2, 2016

This week, well known and universally respected industry guru Mikko Hyppönen celebrates his 25th anniversary of working at F-Secure (formerly known as Data Fellows). VB takes a look back in the archives at two articles published in 1994: an "insight" into the life and work of the then rising star of the anti-virus world, and a virus analysis penned by the man himself.

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VB2015 paper: Economic Sanctions on Malware

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jun 1, 2016

Financial pressure can be a proactive and potentially very effective tool in making our computer ecosystems safer. By cleverly employing various trust metrics and technologies such as digital signing, watermarking, and public-key infrastructure in strategically selected places, we can encourage good behaviours and punish bad ones. In his VB2015 paper, Igor Muttik analyses and gives examples of technologies (certificates, credentials, etc.) to de-incentivize bad behaviours in several ecosystems (Windows, Android, iOS).

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Virus Bulletin's job site for recruiters and job seekers

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 26, 2016

Virus Bulletin has relaunched its security job vacancy service and added a new section, in which job seekers can advertise their skills and experience.

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Throwback Thursday: One_Half: The Lieutenant Commander?

Posted by   Helen Martin on   May 26, 2016

In October 1994, a new multi-partite virus appeared, using some of the techniques developed by the Dark Avenger in Commander_Bomber. As if this were not enough, the One_Half virus could also encrypt vital parts of the fixed disk. Eugene Kaspersky provided a detailed analysis.

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Advertisements on Blogspot sites lead to support scam

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 9, 2016

Support scam pop-ups presented through malicious advertisements show that, next to vulnerable end points, gullible users remain an easy source of money for online criminals.

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To make Tor work better on the web, we need to be honest about it

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 6, 2016

Many websites put barriers in front of visitors who use the Tor network. If we want to make the web more accessible through Tor, we need to be honest about why this is done, rather than cry wolf about a dislike for privacy, Martijn Grooten says.

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Paper: How It Works: Steganography Hides Malware in Image Files

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 28, 2016

A new paper by CYREN researcher Lordian Mosuela takes a close look at Gatak, or Stegoloader, a piece of malware that was discovered last year and that is controlled via malicious code embedded in a PNG image, a technique known as steganography.

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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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

New OpenOffice proof-of-concept widely noted

Odd payload, not spreading danger, brings attention to cross-platform worm.
Odd payload, not spreading danger, brings attention to cross-platform worm. A new proof-of-concept malware exploiting the OpenOffice document format has made headlines across the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/new-openoffice-proof-concept-widely-noted/

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/

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