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

Erratum: VB100 Linux comparative

Dr.Web results corrected.
Dr.Web results corrected. Upon closer analysis of the latest set of VB100 test results (see VB, April 2007, p.11) VB has regrettably discovered some errors in the detection figures… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/erratum-linux-comparative/

Websense snaps up SurfControl

$400m for British web-filtering company.
$400m for British web-filtering company. US firm Websense has sealed a $400m cash deal to acquire British web-filtering company SurfControl. The 700-pence-per-share price paid by… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/websense-snaps-surfcontrol/

May

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/

Google advert exploit attack analysed

Video demonstrates malware infiltration via ads for legitimate sites.
Video demonstrates malware infiltration via ads for legitimate sites. Details continue to emerge of a serious attack using the Google Adwords advertising system to lure… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/google-advert-exploit-attack-analysed/

DoS attacks support political unrest

Estonia rioting backed up by attacks on government websites.
Estonia rioting backed up by attacks on government websites. Severe rioting in Estonia, sparked by anger over the removal of a Russian monument from a prominent war memorial, has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/dos-attacks-support-political-unrest/

Massive lawsuit brought against spam harvesters

Harvesting detection project aims to prosecute address abusers.
Harvesting detection project aims to prosecute address abusers. A community project dedicated to gathering information on the collection of email addresses for spamming purposes… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/massive-lawsuit-brought-against-spam-harvesters/

Email this!

VB stops spammer in his tracks.
VB stops spammer in his tracks. A stark reminder of the ingenuity of spammers was received by VB's web team last month thanks to a brief incident involving the VB web server.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/email/

A new generation of Panda

Panda sells majority shareholding.
Panda sells majority shareholding. Spanish security vendor Panda Software has announced the sale of 75% of its shareholding to southern European investment group Investindustrial… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/new-generation-panda/

VB100 procedure review

Test procedures clarified.
Test procedures clarified.VB has reviewed the test procedures for the VB100 comparative testing and certification program. An updated version of the VB100 procedures document is… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/procedure-review/

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 2007 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/may-issue-vb-published/

Experts predict no let-up in malcode development

Kaspersky and Russinovich warn of growth in Vista, non-Windows malware.
Kaspersky and Russinovich warn of growth in Vista, non-Windows malware. Security experts have been making predictions for the future of malware and anti-malware developments, with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/experts-predict-no-let-malcode-development/

Governments making moves to combat cybercrime

Laws and agencies beginning to target online fraud and ID theft.
Laws and agencies beginning to target online fraud and ID theft. With profits from fraud using privileged personal data stolen via phishing or spyware rocketing and making the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/governments-making-moves-combat-cybercrime/

Theft spam, fraud and web threats may rival ad spam

Spring threat reports show rise in spying, zombies, spear-phishing and cracked websites.
Spring threat reports show rise in spying, zombies, spear-phishing and cracked websites. A series of reports released in recent weeks, surveying the latest developments in spam and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/theft-spam-fraud-and-web-threats-may-rival-ad-spam/

McAfee VirusScan vulnerability found, patched

Multibyte character overflow issue breaches on-access defences.
Multibyte character overflow issue breaches on-access defences. A vulnerability has been reported in the on-access component of McAfee's flagship VirusScan product, which could be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/mcafee-virusscan-vulnerability-found-patched/

Latest VB100 comparative announced

Windows XP products to be tested for June issue.
Windows XP products to be tested for June issue. VB has announced the next round of VB100% comparative testing, to be run on the Microsoft Windows XP platform. Submissions of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/latest-comparative-announced/

Dr.Web Linux VB100 update

Dr.Web test results recalculated.
Dr.Web test results recalculated. Upon closer analysis of the latest set of VB100 test results VB has regrettably discovered some errors in the detection figures shown for Doctor… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/dr-web-linux-update/

Mobile-to-human virus scare hits Asian nations

Rumours of killer mobile malware travel from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Rumours of killer mobile malware travel from Pakistan to Afghanistan. The effects of a possible prank which sparked considerable public panic in one country have travelled to a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/mobile-human-virus-scare-hits-asian-nations/

Worms exploiting Windows DNS flaw

Zero-day vulnerability quickly used to transmit attacks.
Zero-day vulnerability quickly used to transmit attacks. The zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft's DNS server service, reported last week just after the release of the monthly… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/worms-exploiting-windows-dns-flaw/

Sexy pics push Skype malware

Messaging attack hides behind photo of girl in stilettos.
Messaging attack hides behind photo of girl in stilettos. More malware has been reported spreading through the Skype API, sending links to itself to addresses gathered from… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/sexy-pics-push-skype-malware/

Spam-fighters coalition formed

ICSA announces cooperative forum of anti-spam developers.
ICSA announces cooperative forum of anti-spam developers.CyberTrust-owned ICSA Labs has announced the formation of the Anti-Spam Product Developers' Consortium, a grouping of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/04/spam-fighters-coalition-formed/

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