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

Europe facing 38 billion spams a day by 2010

Research group releases report on future spam trends.
Research group releases report on future spam trends. Technology market research firm The Radicati Group has unveiled an in-depth study of likely future trends in the European… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/europe-facing-38-billion-spams-day-2010/

EU demands better spam and malware fighting

Commission report calls for smarter response to online onslaught.
Commission report calls for smarter response to online onslaught. An official statement from the European Commission has demanded a step up in the battle against spam, spyware and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/eu-demands-better-spam-and-malware-fighting/

Vulnerability hits F-Secure gateway products

Flaw in OpenSSL could allow DoS on servers.
Flaw in OpenSSL could allow DoS on servers. A vulnerability in OpenSSL software, used to access the administration interface in some F-Secure gateway and mail protection products,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/vulnerability-hits-f-secure-gateway-products/

Severe vulnerability hits Mac OSX

Exploit published for gaping DMG hole.
Exploit published for gaping DMG hole. A serious vulnerability found in the DMG handling on fully up-to-date installations of Apple's OSX is threatening to upset the platform's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/severe-vulnerability-hits-mac-osx/

Spyware pushers let off fines

FTC reduces punishment for crooks 'unable to pay'.
FTC reduces punishment for crooks 'unable to pay'. Two spyware operations have settled lawsuits brought against them by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at a huge discount. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/spyware-pushers-let-fines/

Spammers and phishers target Christmas shoppers

Online shoppers and email users face heightened festive risks.
Online shoppers and email users face heightened festive risks. With the annual Christmas spending frenzy fast approaching, phishing is as usual on the rise, targeting inexperienced… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/spammers-and-phishers-target-christmas-shoppers/

McAfee in anti-phishing confusion

Latest study rates all filters poorly, slates SiteAdvisor.
Latest study rates all filters poorly, slates SiteAdvisor. In two recent studies of anti-phishing technologies, one (sponsored by Microsoft) rated Internet Explorer highest, while… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/mcafee-anti-phishing-confusion/

ISS to integrate BitDefender

Big Blue adds anti-virus and anti-spyware to desktop security product.
Big Blue adds anti-virus and anti-spyware to desktop security product.IBM announced yesterday that its Internet Security Systems (ISS) subsidiary will be including anti-virus and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/iss-integrate-bitdefender/

Zango still in spyware game

Dodgy tactics continue despite ruling.
Dodgy tactics continue despite ruling. Several researchers have complained that adware-fuelled media company Zango continues to use deceptive practices, despite the recent case… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/zango-still-spyware-game/

UK toughens law against DoS, tools

New law ups penalties for hacking, but could threaten security research.
New law ups penalties for hacking, but could threaten security research. The UK 'Police and Justice Bill 2006', introduced into UK law this month, has drawn some approval for its… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/uk-toughens-law-against-dos-tools/

Trojan planted on Chinese banking site

Backdoor dropper sneaked onto bank card operator's servers.
Backdoor dropper sneaked onto bank card operator's servers. News sources in China are reporting that the website of China UnionPay, a China-wide cross-bank credit card service used… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/trojan-planted-chinese-banking-site/

Patch Tuesday vulnerability exploited

Attack developed within two days of disclosure.
Attack developed within two days of disclosure. The Workstation Service flaw announced and patched on Tuesday, one of the most critical vulnerabilities covered by Microsoft's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/patch-tuesday-vulnerability-exploited/

Worm targets Real Media files

McAfee warns of dangerous movies and music.
McAfee warns of dangerous movies and music. Researchers at McAfee's Avert Labs have warned of a new worm, dubbed 'W32/Realor', which doctors the contents of Real Media files… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/worm-targets-real-media-files/

Firefox anti-phishing better, says Mozilla

Browser phishing filters battle for supremacy.
Browser phishing filters battle for supremacy.Mozilla has released results of an independently run test of phishing filters, in which its latest product, Firefox 2.0, is compared… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/firefox-anti-phishing-better-says-mozilla/

Panda vulnerabilities revealed

ActiveScan remote access holes patched, details disclosed.
ActiveScan remote access holes patched, details disclosed. Several vulnerabilites have been found in Panda Software's ActiveScan product. The problems could be used to initiate a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/panda-vulnerabilities-revealed/

Mobile firewalls released

Trend, F-Secure add extra layer to smartphone security.
Trend, F-Secure add extra layer to smartphone security. Two new products have been unveiled this week offering firewall protection for smartphones and PDAs, with both Trend Micro… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/mobile-firewalls-released/

AVG, F-PROT suffer vulnerabilities

Reports of buffer overflows and other problems.
Reports of buffer overflows and other problems. A series of vulnerabilities have been discovered and patched in Grisoft's AVG Antivirus. Several issues with archive handling could… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/avg-f-prot-suffer-vulnerabilities/

Courts shut down spyware pushers

Media Motor operation frozen by FTC case.
Media Motor operation frozen by FTC case. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has brought a case against the spyware operation Media Motor, with the company and its affiliates… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/courts-shut-down-spyware-pushers/

Russians dominate spammer top ten

Half of ten worst spammers from former USSR.
Half of ten worst spammers from former USSR. This week's list of the top ten 'worst spammers and spam gangs', released by spam fighters Spamhaus, is dominated by eastern Europeans,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/russians-dominate-spammer-top-ten/

Forefront Client reaches beta

Microsoft corporate security product goes into public test.
Microsoft corporate security product goes into public test.Microsoft's long-awaited corporate security suite, Forefront Client Security, has been released to public beta. The new… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/forefront-client-reaches-beta/

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