VB Blog

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

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 1, 2019

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.

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

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 25, 2019

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 campaign with a password-protected ZIP and an email to which a clumsy spammer had attached a list of email addresses rather than a payload.

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VB2018 paper: The modality of mortality in domain names

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 22, 2019

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.

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VB2018 paper: Analysing compiled binaries using logic

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 20, 2019

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 analysis of (potentially) malicious binaries. Today, we publish both Thaís' paper and the video of her presentation.

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

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 19, 2019

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.

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

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 13, 2019

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 the recording of his presentation.

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

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 11, 2019

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.

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VB2018 paper: Where have all the good hires gone?

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 8, 2019

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 and the recording of her presentation.

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Preview: Nullcon 2019

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 5, 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.

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

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 3, 2019

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 campaign and malicious emails carrying Emotet and Lokibot.

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Fathers 4 Justice denies virus

Campaign group categorically denies responsibility
Campaign group categorically denies responsibility Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice has categorically denied any connection with a mass-mailing worm discovered this week which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/fathers-4-justice-denies-virus/

EarthLink wins case against spammers

'Substantial' cash settlement
'Substantial' cash settlement EarthLink Inc. declared victory this week in a court case against two men accused of spamming from its network. The men, Damon DeCrescenzo and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/earthlink-wins-case-against-spammers/

Sentencing of Blaster author due

Maximum sentence sought for Jeffrey Lee Parson
Maximum sentence sought for Jeffrey Lee Parson Jeffrey Lee Parson, the Minnesota teenager who pleaded guilty to distributing the B variant of the Blaster worm, is scheduled to be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/sentencing-blaster-author-due/

Virus writer recommends anti-virus

Brazilian virus writer reveals all to Finnish magazine
Brazilian virus writer reveals all to Finnish magazine A Brazilian software programmer, who proudly claims 'viruses are my life' says that he does not want his viruses to spread… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/virus-writer-recommends-anti-virus/

Man behind web cam virus arrested

Spanish authorities detain 37-year-old
Spanish authorities detain 37-year-old The Spanish Civil Guard has announced the arrest of a man suspected of writing and distributing a virus capable of covertly spying on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/man-behind-web-cam-virus-arrested/

Spammer sues spammed

The tables are turned
The tables are turned In an unusual turn of events, a US company accused of sending large volumes of unsolicited email has filed a lawsuit against a man who reported their… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/spammer-sues-spammed/

Explosion in SMS spam

Korean cell phone users suffer onslaught of spam
Korean cell phone users suffer onslaught of spam Korean cell phone users are being blasted with SMS spam, with 870,000 cases reported to the Korea Information Security Agency… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/explosion-sms-spam/

Texas sues for millions

Two spammers sued by the state of Texas
Two spammers sued by the state of Texas The state of Texas is seeking millions of dollars from two men it accuses of sending millions of spam messages. Ryan Samuel Pitylak, a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/texas-sues-millions/

Sybari sets terms of IPO

3.35 million common shares for sale
3.35 million common shares for sale Anti-virus firm Sybari Software Inc. has set the terms of its planned initial public offering (IPO) in a filing with the Securities and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/sybari-sets-terms-ipo/

McAfee sells Research assets

SPARTA Inc. to become the lucky new owner
SPARTA Inc. to become the lucky new owner McAfee Inc. has announced that it is selling its McAfee Research assets to systems engineering firm SPARTA, Inc. McAfee Research… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/mcafee-sells-research-assets/

FTC granted restraining order against porn spammers

'Sexually explicit' labelling rule violated
'Sexually explicit' labelling rule violated The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been granted a temporary restraining order against six companies that it says have violated CAN… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/ftc-granted-restraining-order-against-porn-spammers/

Microsoft reveals anti-spyware beta and malware removal tool

Anti-virus imminent?
Anti-virus imminent? Microsoft has released the beta version of its new anti-spyware tool, Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware, along with indications that the release of an anti-virus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/microsoft-reveals-anti-spyware-beta-and-malware-removal-tool/

Tsunami scamming begins

FBI warns donors of tsunami disaster relief fraud
FBI warns donors of tsunami disaster relief fraud The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued an alert warning those who wish to donate to tsunami disaster relief funds… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/tsunami-scamming-begins/

'Spam King' agrees to hold fire

For the time being at least...
For the time being at least... Prolific spammer Sanford Wallace has agreed to put a hold on his activity until his court case with the FTC has been resolved. Wallace, whose past… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/spam-king-agrees-hold-fire/

2005

Latest news from the anti-virus industry provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
NewsAddendum: August 2005 Netware 6.5 Comparative Review VB regrets that Symantec was not included in NetWare 6.5 comparative review published in the August 2005 issue of Virus… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/

January

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/

Happy New Year!!!

Virus Bulletin would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous new year.
Virus Bulletin would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous new year. Virus Bulletin would like to wish all its readers a very happy and prosperous new year.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2005/01/happy-new-year/

Latest VGrep

The latest version of the virus name lookup tool - VGrep, is now available.
The latest version of the virus name lookup tool - VGrep, is now available. VGrep is a system produced in an attempt to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the naming of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/latest-vgrep/

Test files: Straightening the record

VB sets the record straight regarding the collection of files referenced in Peter Morley's letter 'Generic detection - a specific case' published in last months main magazine.
VB sets the record straight regarding the collection of files referenced in Peter Morley's letter 'Generic detection - a specific case' published in last months main magazine.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/test-files-straightening-record/

January issue released

The Virus Bulletin January 2005 issue is on its way.
The Virus Bulletin January 2005 issue is on its way. It's that time of the month again... If you are a subscriber to Virus Bulletin, you should be receiving your January issue… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/january-issue-released/

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