VB Blog

VB2019 paper: Defeating APT10 compiler-level obfuscations

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 13, 2020

At VB2019 in London, Carbon Black researcher Takahiro Haruyama presented a paper on defeating compiler-level obfuscations used by the APT10 group. Today we publish both Takahiro's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Attribution is in the object: using RTF object dimensions to track APT phishing weaponizers

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 12, 2020

At VB2019 in London Michael Raggi (Proofpoint) and Ghareeb Saad (Anomali) presented a paper on the 'Royal Road' exploit builder (or weaponizer) and how the properties of RTF files can be used to track weaponizers and their users. Today we publish both their paper and the recording of their presentation.

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VB2019 presentation: Nexus between OT and IT threat intelligence

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 11, 2020

Operational technology, the mission critical IT in ICS, shares many similarities with traditional IT systems, but also some crucial differences. During the Threat Intelligence Practitioners’ Summit at VB2019, Dragos cyber threat intelligence analyst Selena Larson gave a keynote on these similarities and differences. Today we release the recording of her presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Kimsuky group: tracking the king of the spear-phishing

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 10, 2020

In a paper presented at VB2019 in London, researchers fron the Financial Security Institute detailed the tools and activities used by the APT group 'Kimsuky', some of which they were able to analyse through OpSec failures by the group. Today, we publish their paper.

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VB2019 paper: Play fuzzing machine - hunting iOS and macOS kernel vulnerabilities automatically and smartly

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 9, 2020

In a paper presented at VB2019 in London, Trend Micro researchers Lilang Wu and Moony Li explained how the hunt for vulnerabilities in MacOS and iOS operating systems can be made both smarter and more automatic. Today we publish both their paper and the recording of their presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Finding drive-by rookies using an automated active observation platform

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 6, 2020

In a last-minute paper presented at VB2019 in London, Rintaro Koike (NTT Security) and Yosuke Chubachi (Active Defense Institute, Ltd) discussed the platform they have built to automatically detect and analyse exploit kits. Today we publish the recording of their presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Pulling the PKPLUG: the adversary playbook for the long-standing espionage activity of a Chinese nation state adversary

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Feb 28, 2020

The activities of China-based threat actor PKPLUG were detailed in a VB2019 paper by Palo Alto Networks researcher Alex Hinchliffe, who described the playbook of this long-standing adversary. Today we publish both Alex's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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VB2019 paper: Static analysis methods for detection of Microsoft Office exploits

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Feb 25, 2020

Today we publish the VB2019 paper and presentation by McAfee researcher Chintan Shah in which he described static analysis methods for the detection of Microsoft Office exploits.

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New paper: LokiBot: dissecting the C&C panel deployments

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 17, 2020

First advertised as an information stealer and keylogger when it appeared in underground forums in 2015, LokiBot has added various capabilities over the years and has affected many users worldwide. In a new paper researcher Aditya Sood analyses the URL structure of the LokiBot C&C panels and how they have evolved over time.

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VB2019 presentation: Building secure sharing systems that treat humans as features not bugs

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 14, 2020

In a presentation at VB2019 in London, Virtru's Andrea Limbago described how, by exploring data sharing challenges through a socio-technical lens, it is possible to make significant gains toward the secure sharing systems and processes that are vital for innovation and collaboration. Today we release the recording of her presentation.

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Search blog

Users of online banking 'should have adequate protection'

New UK banking code says customers who keep their PCs secure will not be responsible for losses due to online theft.
New UK banking code says customers who keep their PCs secure will not be responsible for losses due to online theft. A new banking code launched earlier this week by the British'… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/users-online-banking-should-have-adequate-protection/

Average spam message size at record low

No decrease of bandwidth usage as number of spam messages keeps increasing.
No decrease of bandwidth usage as number of spam messages keeps increasing. The average size of spam messages has decreased to a record low of just over 2KB, security company… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/average-spam-message-size-record-low/

Less than 30 per cent of smartphone users have AV installed

Experts disagree on the need for specialist mobile AV protection.
Experts disagree on the need for specialist mobile AV protection. In a poll only 19% of visitors to the VB website said they had anti-malware protection on their mobile phone.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/less-30-cent-smartphone-users-have-av-installed/

April issue of VB published

The April issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The April issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The April 2008 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/april-issue-vb-published/

April

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/

Almost 90% of Americans feel safe online

Users' confidence does not match up with percentage of properly protected users.
Users' confidence does not match up with percentage of properly protected users. Research by StopBadware.org shows that 88% of Americans say they feel safe online, despite the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/almost-90-americans-feel-safe-online/

April Storm

April Fools' Day emails contain new variant of infamous worm.
April Fools' Day emails contain new variant of infamous worm. Security researchers report a new wave of spam emails being sent out. The emails, which use subject lines such as… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/april-storm/

From Simple Mail to Hypertext

HTTP and FTP take over from SMTP as common malware spreading methods.
HTTP and FTP take over from SMTP as common malware spreading methods.A report from F-Secure has highlighted the recent shift in malware spreading methods from email to web-based… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/simple-mail-hypertext/

Microsoft acquires Komoku

Anti-rootkit software to become part of Forefront and OneCare.
Anti-rootkit software to become part of Forefront and OneCare. Just before Easter, Microsoft announced it had acquired Komoku, a Maryland-based company that builds anti-rootkit… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/microsoft-acquires-komoku/

Access flaw exploited via Word

Microsoft's employees hunting vulnerabilities instead of Easter eggs.
Microsoft's employees hunting vulnerabilities instead of Easter eggs. A buffer overrun vulnerability in Microsoft's Jet Database Engine, the underlying database behind Microsoft… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/access-flaw-exploited-word/

Hoax email warns about 'nasty virus'

Phony advice causes removal of site from search engines.
Phony advice causes removal of site from search engines. Over the last few days an email, written in German, has been seen circulating warning users about a 'nasty virus' that is… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/hoax-email-warns-about-nasty-virus/

Legitimate program becomes trojan downloader

Website of FlashGet attacked; malicious 'update' automatically downloaded.
Website of FlashGet attacked; malicious 'update' automatically downloaded. By hacking into the website of popular Windows download manager FlashGet, cybercriminals have managed to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/legitimate-program-becomes-trojan-downloader/

More 'trusted sites' carrying iframe danger

Big wave of website infections could affect tens of thousands of sites, Trend Micro latest victim.
Big wave of website infections could affect tens of thousands of sites, Trend Micro latest victim. Earlier this week McAfee reported a major outbreak of website infections, with as… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/more-trusted-sites-carrying-iframe-danger/

AV-test.org issues latest figures

In-depth testing covers multiple factors.
In-depth testing covers multiple factors. Independent testing body AV-Test.org has released its latest set of results, with a large group of products tested against a number of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/av-test-org-issues-latest-figures/

EU agency research advises sweeping security improvements

ISPs and developers should be held to account, says report.
ISPs and developers should be held to account, says report. A research paper commissioned by the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) has called for major… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/eu-agency-research-advises-sweeping-security-improvements/

Latest Patch Tuesday release

March's Patch Tuesday sees four 'critical' updates.
March's Patch Tuesday sees four 'critical' updates.Microsoft has released its monthly 'Patch Tuesday' security bulletin. This month the bulletin features four 'critical' updates,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/latest-patch-tuesday-release/

Cisco announces 'Patch Wednesdays'

Cisco set to embark on regular release cycle.
Cisco set to embark on regular release cycle. Following a trend set by Microsoft's monthly 'Patch Tuesdays' and Oracle's quarterly security updates, networking giant Cisco has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/cisco-announces-patch-wednesdays/

Latest AV-Comparatives results released

Detection test shows most products improving.
Detection test shows most products improving. Testers at AV-Comparatives have released their latest set of results, with 16 products pitted against a massive set of over 1.6… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/latest-av-comparatives-results-released/

'Olympic' emails contain malicious XLS attachments

Malware writers sprint to use vulnerabilities before next Patch Tuesday.
Malware writers sprint to use vulnerabilities before next Patch Tuesday. Security researchers have reported seeing emails containing XLS attachments designed to exploit a yet… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/olympic-emails-contain-malicious-xls-attachments/

Spammer's free speech defence fails

Appeal against conviction turned down.
Appeal against conviction turned down. US spammer Jeremy Jaynes, the first spammer convicted in a felony case, has had his last appeal against the conviction, brought on freedom of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/03/spammer-s-free-speech-defence-fails/

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