VB Blog

Throwback Thursday: Olympic Games

Posted by Helen Martin on Aug 2, 2016

In 1994, along with the Olympic Games came an Olympic virus, from a group of Swedish virus authors calling themselves ‘Immortal Riot’. We look back at Mikko Hyppönen's analysis in the VB archive.

Posted by Martijn Grooten on Aug 1, 2016

Announcing the VB2016 call for last-minute papers and a number of discounts on the conference registration rate.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jul 28, 2016

In the run up to VB2016, we invited the conference sponsors to write guest posts for our blog. In the second of this series, ESET's Matías Porolli writes about malicious Visual Basic and JavaScript gaining prevalence in Brazil.

Posted by Martijn Grooten on Jul 28, 2016

The website of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy has been compromised to inject a hidden iframe into the site's source code that serves the Neutrino exploit kit and may infect visitors with ransomware.

Posted by Martijn Grooten on Jul 26, 2016

While there are no actually risks involved in using MD5s in malware analyses, it reinforces bad habits and we should all start using SHA-256 instead.

Posted by Helen Martin on Jul 21, 2016

In 2001, ‘Code Red’ caused White House administrators to change the IP address of the official White House website, and even penetrated Microsoft’s own IIS servers.

Posted by Martijn Grooten on Jul 20, 2016

A new paper by FireEye researcher Ankit Anubhav provides an overview of evasion techniques applied by recently discovered malware.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jul 15, 2016

Recently, ESET researchers uncovered a new espionage toolkit targeting targeting Central and Eastern Europe. They provide some details in a guest post.

Posted by Martijn Grooten on Jul 8, 2016

Anti-virus vendor Avast has announced the acquisition of its rival AVG for 1.3 billion US dollars.

Posted by Helen Martin on Jul 7, 2016

Passwords have long been a weak point in the security chain, despite efforts to encourage users to pick strong ones. 13 years ago, Martin Overton wrote an article highlighting the weakness and explaining why it is the human element that presents the biggest risk to computer security - something that rings as true today as it did 13 years ago.

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VB2019 call for papers closes this weekend

The call for papers for VB2019 closes on 17 March, and while we've already received many great submissions, we still want more!
This weekend the call for papers for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, will close. For those who like to submit at the very last minute, the CFP closes… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2019-call-papers-closes-weekend/

Registration open for VB2019 ─ book your ticket now!

Registration for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, is now open, with an early bird rate available until 1 July.
Registration is now open for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, which will take place 2-4 October in London, UK. One of the longest-running security… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/registration-open-vb2019-book-your-ticket-now/

The VB2019 call for papers is about ... papers

When we are calling for papers for the Virus Bulletin conference as we are doing now, we really mean a written paper. But don't worry if you've never written a paper - we can help!
The Call for Papers for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin Conference (London, 2-4 October) is open until Sunday 17 March. When we say "call for papers" we really put the emphasis… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2019-call-papers-about-papers/

VB2018 video: Adware is just malware with a legal department - how we reverse engineered OSX/Pirrit, received legal threats, and survived

Amit Serper first analysed the OSX/Pirrit adware in 2016, highlighting some of its malware-like techniques, and soon afterwards started receiving legal threats from the company behind it. At VB2018 Amit gave a presentation in which he discussed both the a…
OSX/Pirrit was first analysed in 2016 by Cybereason's Amit Serper in a guest blog post for the Objective See blog. It is an interesting and technically thorough analysis of a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2018-video-adware-just-malware-legal-department-how-we-reverse-engineered-osxpirrit-received-legal-threats-and-survived/

VB2018 paper: Anatomy of an attack: detecting and defeating CRASHOVERRIDE

In December 2016, the CRASHOVERRIDE malware framework was used to cause a blackout in Ukraine. At VB2018 in Montreal, Dragos researcher Joe Slowik presented a detailed paper on the framework, explaining how the malware works and how it targets various pro…
Anatomy of an attack: detecting and defeating CRASHOVERRIDE Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) If you're going to be at the RSA Conference in San… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2018-paper-anatomy-attack-detecting-and-defeating-crashoverride/

VB2018 presentation: Levelling up: why sharing threat intelligence makes you more competitive

In a presentation at VB2018, Michael Daniel, President and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance, outlined exactly how threat sharing strengthens a company's competitive advantage. Today we release the recording of his presentation.
Here at VB we often talk about the importance of sharing intelligence, and many of us coming into the industry for the first time have been genuinely surprised by the willingness… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2018-presentation-levelling-why-sharing-threat-intelligence-makes-you-more-competitive/

March

https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/

The malspam security products miss: Emotet, Ursnif, and a spammer's blunder

The set-up of the VBSpam test lab gives us a unique insight into the kinds of emails that are more likely to bypass email filters. This week we look at the malspam that was missed: a very international email with a link serving Emotet, an Italian Ursnif c…
This blog post was put together in collaboration with VB test engineers Adrian Luca and Ionuţ Răileanu. Virus Bulletin uses email feeds provided by Abusix and Project Honey Pot.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/malspam-security-products-miss-emotet-ursnif-and-spammers-blunder/

VB2018 paper: The modality of mortality in domain names

Domains play a crucial role in most cyber attacks, from the very advanced to the very mundane. Today, we publish a VB2018 paper by Paul Vixie (Farsight Security) who undertook the first systematic study into the lifetimes of newly registered domains.
The modality of mortality in domain names Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) Have you carried out research that furthers our understanding of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-modality-mortality-domain-names/

VB2018 paper: Analysing compiled binaries using logic

Constraint programming is a lesser-known technique that is becoming increasingly popular among malware analysts. In a paper presented at VB2018 Thaís Moreira Hamasaki presented an overview of the technique and explained how it can be applied to the analys…
Analysing compiled binaries using logic Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) Static analysis of malware is usually "done by a person (a security analyst) who… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-analysing-compiled-binaries-using-logic/

Virus Bulletin encourages experienced speakers and newcomers alike to submit proposals for VB2019

With a little less than a month before the deadline of the call for papers for VB2019, Virus Bulletin encourages submissions from experienced speakers and newcomers alike.
There is a little less than a month left until the deadline (17 March) of the call for papers for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference. Over almost three… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/virus-bulletin-encourages-experienced-speakers-and-newcomers-alike-submit-proposals-vb2019/

VB2018 paper: Internet balkanization: why are we raising borders online?

At VB2018 in Montreal, Ixia researcher Stefan Tanase presented a thought-provoking paper on the current state of the Internet and the worrying tendency towards raising borders and restricting the flow of information. Today we publish both his paper and th…
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, said "I hope we use the Net to cross barriers and connect cultures". Yet increasingly we are seeing barriers being raised not… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-internet-balkanization-why-are-we-raising-borders-online/

The malspam security products miss: banking and email phishing, Emotet and Bushaloader

The set-up of the VBSpam test lab gives us a unique insight into the kinds of emails that are more likely to bypass email filters. This week we look at the malspam that was missed: banking and email phishing, Emotet and Bushaloader.
This blog post was put together in collaboration with VB test engineers Adrian Luca and Ionuţ Răileanu. Virus Bulletin uses email feeds provided by Abusix and Project Honey Pot.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/malspam-security-products-miss-banking-and-email-phishing-emotet-and-bushaloader/

VB2018 paper: Where have all the good hires gone?

The cybersecurity skills gap has been described as one of the biggest challenges facing IT leaders today. At VB2018 in Montreal, ESET's Lysa Myers outlined some of the things the industry can do to help address the problem. Today we publish Lysa's paper a…
Did you see we have opened the Call for Papers for VB2019 in London? Submit your abstract before 17 March for a chance to make it onto the programme of one of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-where-have-all-good-hires-gone/

Preview: Nullcon 2019

We look forward the Nullcon 2019 conference in Goa, India, at which VB Editor Martijn Grooten will give a talk on the state of malware.
Does it matter that the number of new malware samples keeps growing? What does the meteoric rise in cryptocurrency malware indicate? Why is there barely any malware on iOS? Which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/preview-nullcon-2019/

From Amazon to Emotet: a look at those phishing and malware emails that bypassed email security products

We see a lot of spam in the VBSpam test lab, and we also see how well such emails are being blocked by email security products. Recently some of the emails that bypassed security products included a broken Amazon phishing campaign, a large fake UPS campai…
This blog post was put together in collaboration with VB test engineers Adrian Luca and Ionuţ Răileanu. On this blog, we regularly look at those phishing and malware emails… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/amazon-ups-emotet-formbook-and-lokibot-look-those-phishing-and-malware-emails-bypassed-email-security-products/

February

https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/

VB2018 paper: Little Brother is watching – we know all your secrets!

At VB2018 in Montreal, researchers from Fraunhofer SIT looked at privacy vulnerabilities in legitimate Android family-tracking apps that leaked location data. Today, we publish both their paper and the video of their presentation.
The use of mobile spyware to spy on (ex-)partners is an underreported problem, despite the prevalence of such apps and their use in cases of domestic violence. At VB2017 in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-little-brother-watching-we-know-all-your-secrets/

Threat intelligence teams should consider recruiting journalists

Threat intelligence teams would do well to recruit journalists, whose experience is crucial in today's threat landscape.
These aren't easy times for journalists. Last week's laying off of dozens of journalists at BuzzFeed, including its full national security desk, contributed to more than 1,000… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/01/threat-intelligence-teams-should-consider-recruiting-journalists/

From HSBC to product descriptions: the malicious emails bypassing your filters

Using data from our VBSpam lab, we looked at the malicious emails that have been missed recently by a large number of email security products.
Over a one-week period earlier this month, the average email with a malicious attachment was almost three times as likely to bypass email security products than a spam email… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/01/hsbc-product-descriptions-malicious-emails-bypassing-your-filters/

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