VB Blog

First sponsors of VB2017 announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 6, 2017

We are excited to announce the first five sponsors of VB2017, companies based in Europe, Asia and North America.

Read more  

Security products and HTTPS: let's do it better

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 27, 2017

A recent paper showed that many HTTPS-intercepting security solutions have implemented TLS rather poorly. Does that mean we should avoid such solutions altogether?

Read more  

The SHA-1 hashing algorithm has been 'shattered'

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 23, 2017

Researchers from Google and CWI Amsterdam have created the first known collision of the SHA-1 hashing algorithm, making a very strong case to ditch it.

Read more  

Throwback Thursday: Once a researcher...

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 23, 2017

VB was saddened to learn this week of the passing of one of the pioneers of the AV industry, Ross Greenberg. This Throwback Thursday we look back at an interview with Ross in November 1995.

Read more  

VB2017: What is happening in the threat landscape and what are we doing against it? Submit a proposal in the VB2017 CFP!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 20, 2017

Have you analysed a new online threat? Do you know a new way to defend against such threats? Then submit an abstract in the CFP for VB2017!

Read more  

VB2016 paper: APT reports and OPSEC evolution, or: these are not the APT reports you are looking for

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 17, 2017

APT reports are great for gaining an understanding of how advanced attack groups operate - however, they can also provide free QA for the threat actors. Today, we publish a VB2016 paper by Gadi Evron (Cymmetria) and Inbar Raz (Perimeter X), who discuss what they think is wrong with many APT reports and what can be done to improve them.

Read more  

Security for your ears: recommended infosec podcasts

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 14, 2017

Industry veteran Mikko Hyppönen recently urged would-be security researchers to ditch their favourite pop music and listen to security podcasts on their commute to work instead. Virus Bulletin Editor Martijn Grooten shares his favourite security podcasts.

Read more  

VB2016 video: Getting duped: piggybacking on webcam streams for surreptitious recordings

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 10, 2017

In a presentation at VB2016, Patrick Wardle, Director of Research at Synack, discussed the possibilities of Mac malware recording the user via the webcam. Today, we publish the video of Patrick's presentation.

Read more  

We shouldn't forget those most vulnerable in our digital world

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 9, 2017

Virus Bulletin Editor Martijn Grooten calls for the security community not to forget those most vulnerable in the digital world, including political activists living under oppressive regimes, and victims of abuse.

Read more  

Throwback Thursday: A troubled world

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 9, 2017

In early 1991, the world was a troubled place and conflict and violence were being reported globally on a daily basis. With this as a backdrop, the world of "indiscriminate" computer viruses which "victimise in a random and unpredictable manner" seemed relatively trivial to then Editor of VB, Edward Wilding.

Read more  

Search blog

News round-up

October's goings on in the AV industry.
October's goings on in the AV industry. Despite no major malware outbreaks having occurred during last month's VB conference (as has almost seemed a tradition in the past),… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/news-round/

November

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/

Spamhaus rests easy

US judge rules against suspending Spamhaus domain.
US judge rules against suspending Spamhaus domain. At the end of a month-long court battle, a US judge has ruled that UK anti-spam advisory organization Spamhaus will not have its… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/spamhaus-rests-easy/

Sender ID specification released

Microsoft reveals all as part of its Open Specification Promise.
Microsoft reveals all as part of its Open Specification Promise.Microsoft has made its Sender ID Framework specification available as part of its recent Open Specification Promise,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/sender-id-specification-released/

New anti-spam group formed

StopSpamAlliance unites international bodies.
StopSpamAlliance unites international bodies. A group of international agencies and organisations have teamed up to launch StopSpamAlliance.org, designed to be a centralised base… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/new-anti-spam-group-formed/

Phish check interface

Developer interface for checking phishy URLs.
Developer interface for checking phishy URLs. The people behind PhishTank, a collaborative clearing house for data and information about phishing, have revealed a simplified… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/11/phish-check-interface/

Sophos engine faults disclosed

iDefense reports file-handling vulnerabilities.
iDefense reports file-handling vulnerabilities. Security researchers at iDefense have released information on four separate bugs in the Sophos anti-virus engine, affecting most… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/sophos-engine-faults-disclosed/

Two more IE7 bugs downplayed by Microsoft

More phishing issues found, not a big problem says MS.
More phishing issues found, not a big problem says MS. A second bug was spotted late last week in Microsoft's recently-released Internet Explorer 7, which could allow malicious… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/two-more-ie7-bugs-downplayed-microsoft/

McAfee up, Symantec down in profits

Financial reports differ widely between top security rivals.
Financial reports differ widely between top security rivals. Profits reports for the third quarter of the year show Symantec struggling with disappointing sales in the European… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/mcafee-symantec-down-profits/

Australian spam firm fined $4.1 million

First case under spam laws brings hefty punishment.
First case under spam laws brings hefty punishment. A company based in Western Australia has been charged A$4.5 million, with another A$1 million levied from its director, after a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/australian-spam-firm-fined-4-1-million/

Windows Defender fully released

Microsoft anti-spyware product handed out free.
Microsoft anti-spyware product handed out free. After a lengthy beta period, Microsoft's free anti-spyware product, renamed Windows Defender halfway through its beta cycle, has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/windows-defender-fully-released/

Sender ID licence opened up

Microsoft frees up access to anti-spam framework.
Microsoft frees up access to anti-spam framework.Microsoft has put the specifications for the Sender ID and Sender Policy Framework (SPF) email verification system under its 'Open… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/sender-id-licence-opened/

UK banks failing online users

Report names and shames insecure banking sites - again.
Report names and shames insecure banking sites - again. A report from heise Security, following up on a previous study released a month ago, claims several UK banks are still using… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/uk-banks-failing-online-users/

Trojan installs Kaspersky AV

Scanner software used to keep out rival malware.
Scanner software used to keep out rival malware. A trojan has been reported in the wild using a genuine AV engine to keep its victims' machines free from other threats. This… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/trojan-installs-kaspersky-av/

Latest VB100% test announced

Call for products issued for Windows XP x64 test.
Call for products issued for Windows XP x64 test. The latest round of VB 100% certification testing has been announced. The test will be run on the Windows XP Professional x64… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/latest-test-announced/

Microsoft in multiple security rows

AV firms, Apple and Secunia embroiled in MS spats.
AV firms, Apple and Secunia embroiled in MS spats. Operating system giant Microsoft is engaged on multiple fronts in a series of security-related PR battles. The longest running… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/microsoft-multiple-security-rows/

IE7 used as phishing lure

Spam campaign tries to hook users with new browser version.
Spam campaign tries to hook users with new browser version. A spam campaign has been spotted using the latest version of Microsoft's web browser, Internet Explorer 7, as bait. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/ie7-used-phishing-lure/

MySpace users targeted by spam campaign

Phishers pose as online contacts to push bogus shopping sites.
Phishers pose as online contacts to push bogus shopping sites. A major spam campaign is bombarding inboxes with mails masquerading as messages from conacts on web social and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/myspace-users-targeted-spam-campaign/

MacDonald's serves up spyware

Diners 'rewarded' with infected music players
Diners 'rewarded' with infected music players Japanese customers of global burger giant MacDonald's have been warned that 10,000 MP3 players handed out by the firm as part of a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/macdonald-s-serves-spyware/

Another hole found in PowerPoint

Proof-of-concept exploit shows further bug in slideshow software
Proof-of-concept exploit shows further bug in slideshow softwareMicrosoft has issued an alert over a new potential zero-day exploit in its PowerPoint presentation software. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/10/another-hole-found-powerpoint/

We have placed cookies on your device in order to improve the functionality of this site, as outlined in our cookies policy. However, you may delete and block all cookies from this site and your use of the site will be unaffected. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to Virus Bulletin's use of data as outlined in our privacy policy.