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

Phone companies' security shaken

As T-Mobile hacker is convicted, AT&T reveals break-in.
As T-Mobile hacker is convicted, AT&T reveals break-in. A 23-year-old Oregon resident has been sentenced to a year of 'home detention', after being convicted of hacking into the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/phone-companies-security-shaken/

BitDefender to join mobile market

AV firm releases phone security beta.
AV firm releases phone security beta.BitDefender has become the latest AV company to make a move into the mobile device market. It has released a beta of its mobile AV software,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/bitdefender-join-mobile-market/

eBay phishing ups its game

Decent spelling and convincing design aim to trick users.
Decent spelling and convincing design aim to trick users. Users of eBay, perennial subject of phishing scams, are currently being targeted by a more than usually well-crafted… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/ebay-phishing-ups-its-game/

AOL 9.0 slated for suspect tactics

More badware accusations levelled at web giant.
More badware accusations levelled at web giant.StopBadware.org, the international anti-malware coalition backed by Google and Sun among others, has labelled AOL's current free… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/aol-9-0-slated-suspect-tactics/

More ConsumerReports complaints

Testing organisation's methodology slammed again.
Testing organisation's methodology slammed again.ConsumerReports.org, the online wing of American consumers association Consumers Union, is once again taking flak for its testing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/more-consumerreports-complaints/

iPod spam carries trojan

Fake sales invoice includes downloader.
Fake sales invoice includes downloader. A new spam campaign claiming to be information on an order for a new iPod is accompanied by a trojan which, when run, attempts to download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/ipod-spam-carries-trojan/

Share dealers robbed, phishing suspected

Canadian stock-trading association warns of security breaches.
Canadian stock-trading association warns of security breaches. The Investment Dealers Association of Canada (IDA), a national regulatory organisation, has released an urgent press… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/share-dealers-robbed-phishing-suspected/

Malware mostly crime-related, says Panda

Security firm reports 88% of new malware linked to cyber crime.
Security firm reports 88% of new malware linked to cyber crime. The labs of Spanish firm Panda Software have released a quarterly report, stating that criminal activity is behind… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/malware-mostly-crime-related-says-panda/

Three years for botnet master

Zombie herder sentenced to 37 months behind bars.
Zombie herder sentenced to 37 months behind bars. A Californian 21-year-old has been sent to a federal prison in the US, after being convicted of computer fraud and computer damage… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/three-years-botnet-master/

IBM invests in security, others may follow

Big Blue purchase sparks rumours of more mergers.
Big Blue purchase sparks rumours of more mergers. When massive cross-sector IT giant IBM bought Internet Security Systems for a rumoured $1.3 billion last week, it joined the list… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/ibm-invests-security-others-may-follow/

Rooting out malware

Sophos joins anti-rootkit market, others expected to follow soon.
Sophos joins anti-rootkit market, others expected to follow soon.Sophos has released a free anti-rootkit tool, available for download from its website. The UK-based company joins… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/rooting-out-malware/

Child porn blackmail spam carries trojan

Spoof mail claims to come from anti-child porn site.
Spoof mail claims to come from anti-child porn site. A spam campaign claiming to come from child porn activists ASACP accuses recipients of visiting child porn sites, suggesting a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/child-porn-blackmail-spam-carries-trojan/

Phishing help for Yahoo! users

As phishing nets spread wider, Yahoo! announces defensive 'seal'.
As phishing nets spread wider, Yahoo! announces defensive 'seal'. Web giant Yahoo! has announced plans to introduce a new anti-phishing system to help protect its customers. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/phishing-help-yahoo-users/

Trend and Microsoft deny vulnerability

PowerPoint zero-day hype just hype after all.
PowerPoint zero-day hype just hype after all. After an announcement from Trend Micro sparked numerous reports of a zero-day PowerPoint exploit, taking advantage of an… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/trend-and-microsoft-deny-vulnerability/

Stock scam spam duo sued

Pump-and-dump couple face fines, as do many others worldwide.
Pump-and-dump couple face fines, as do many others worldwide. A Connecticut couple have been indicted over claims they used a spam campaign to artificially inflate stock prices. In… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/stock-scam-spam-duo-sued/

McAfee faces legal and financial woes

With books under scrutiny, McAfee is sued over property rights.
With books under scrutiny, McAfee is sued over property rights. As McAfee faces up to the likelihood of its financial results for the last five years being overturned following… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/mcafee-faces-legal-and-financial-woes/

Phishers target more charities

Christian Aid warns supporters of bogus emails, while Katrina phishmaster is indicted.
Christian Aid warns supporters of bogus emails, while Katrina phishmaster is indicted. Church charity organisation Christian Aid has released a statement warning supporters to be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/phishers-target-more-charities/

AOL AV in adware alarm

Free product offered by AOL accused of potentially unwanted tactics.
Free product offered by AOL accused of potentially unwanted tactics. Recently released Active Virus Shield, the Kaspersky-based anti-virus product from web giant AOL, is coming… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/aol-av-adware-alarm/

Movie firm harasses users with spyware

Film download service accused of using spyware strongarm tactics.
Film download service accused of using spyware strongarm tactics. Washington state has brought an action against a firm called Movieland.com, after complaints that the company's… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/movie-firm-harasses-users-spyware/

AOL digging for spammer's treasure

Web giant plans hunt for hidden spam gold.
Web giant plans hunt for hidden spam gold. ISP mammoth AOL has obtained a court judgement allowing it to dig up the land of a convicted spammer's family, in a search for a stash… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/aol-digging-spammer-s-treasure/

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