VB Blog

VB2017: a wide ranging and international conference programme

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 13, 2017

We are proud to announce a very broad and very international programme for VB2017, which will take place in Madrid, 4-6 October 2017.

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John Graham-Cumming and Brian Honan to deliver keynote addresses at VB2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 10, 2017

Virus Bulletin is excited to announce John-Graham Cumming and Brian Honan as the two keynote speakers for VB2017 in Madrid.

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Virus Bulletin says a fond farewell to John Hawes

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 31, 2017

As VB's COO John Hawes moves on to new challenges, the team wish him a fond farewell and good luck in his future endeavours.

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VB2016 paper: One-Click Fileless Infection

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 28, 2017

Symantec researchers Himanshu Anand and Chastine Menrige explain how a single click can lead to a compromised machine, without malware ever being stored on disk.

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Mostly blocked, but still good enough: Necurs sending pump-and-dump spam

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 22, 2017

The Necurs botnet has started sending pump-and-dump spam. Almost all of these emails are blocked by spam filters, yet the stock price still increased.

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Why the SHA-1 collision means you should stop using the algorithm

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 10, 2017

Realistically speaking, if your software or system uses the SHA-1 hashing algorithm, it is unlikely that it will be exploited in the foreseeable future. But it is also extremely difficult to be certain that your system won't be the exception.

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VB2017 Call for Papers: frequently asked questions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 10, 2017

The call for papers for VB2017, which takes place 4 to 6 October in Madrid, Spain, is currently open. We're always on the look out for new speakers and new content, so to help anyone who's unfamiliar with the VB conference, we've prepared a list of answers to some frequently asked questions about the event, and about how to submit a paper.

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Throwback Thursday: Michelangelo - Graffiti Not Art

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 9, 2017

This week marked the 25th anniversary of the trigger date of the infamous Michelangelo virus. In January 1992, VB published an analysis of the boot sector virus that captured the imagination of the press and kicked up a media storm.

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How are you defending your network? Come and tell us at VB2017!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 8, 2017

Is it your job to defend your company’s network? Are you defending a government’s systems? Do you help secure the devices used by activists operating in less open societies? Do you work with abuse victims targeted by spyware? Share your experiences with the security community at VB2017.

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Quick impressions from BSides Budapest

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 8, 2017

At Virus Bulletin, we love the BSides concept and we have attended several of the BSides events around the world. So when Peter Karsai, who is soon to join the VB team, offered to write about his experience at BSides Budapest, we jumped at the chance to publish his post.

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New OpenOffice proof-of-concept widely noted

Odd payload, not spreading danger, brings attention to cross-platform worm.
Odd payload, not spreading danger, brings attention to cross-platform worm. A new proof-of-concept malware exploiting the OpenOffice document format has made headlines across the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/new-openoffice-proof-concept-widely-noted/

Norton FP trashes Chinese systems

Vital DLLs flagged as malware disable Windows XP across China.
Vital DLLs flagged as malware disable Windows XP across China. A serious false positive, caused by an erroneous update to Symantec's Norton Anti-virus product range issued late… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/norton-fp-trashes-chinese-systems/

Zango sues PC Tools for $35 million

'Reformed' adware shippers upset by detection and removal.
'Reformed' adware shippers upset by detection and removal. Adware and sometime spyware maker Zango has brought a suit against anti-spyware firm PC Tools complaining that the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/zango-sues-pc-tools-35-million/

New spam-fighting system for France

Junk mail blacklisting project goes live.
Junk mail blacklisting project goes live. A group of public bodies and private companies have joined forces to implement a new system allowing French email users to report spam… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/new-spam-fighting-system-france/

Estonian websites suffer wave of DoS attacks

Baltic republic accuses Russia of cyber-warfare.
Baltic republic accuses Russia of cyber-warfare. A wave of denial of service (DoS) attacks on Estonian websites has prompted the Estonian government to accuse its neighbour of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/estonian-websites-suffer-wave-dos-attacks/

Symantec files 8 piracy suits

Symantec pursues distributors of counterfeit software.
Symantec pursues distributors of counterfeit software.Symantec has revealed that it has filed civil lawsuits against eight US and Canadian companies accused of selling counterfeit… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/symantec-files-8-piracy-suits/

Verizon acquires Cybertrust

ICSA Labs parent company subsumed.
ICSA Labs parent company subsumed.Verizon Business, a division of Verizon Communications has announced that it is set to acquire managed security services supplier Cybertrust. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/verizon-acquires-cybertrust/

Latest flaws affect AV giants

Symantec, McAfee and CA all patch vulnerabilities.
Symantec, McAfee and CA all patch vulnerabilities. Three of the biggest names in the security sector, McAfee, Symantec and CA, have all revealed details of flaws in their software… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/latest-flaws-affect-av-giants/

Phishing techniques and technology revealed

Serious software used to analyse phished data, and a phisher talks.
Serious software used to analyse phished data, and a phisher talks. Some insights into the workings of phishing scams were revealed this week, as a sophisticated tool designed to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/phishing-techniques-and-technology-revealed/

1.4 million Chinese infected over holiday week

May vacations bring trojan avalanche for gamers and filesharers.
May vacations bring trojan avalanche for gamers and filesharers. Chinese computers, in heavy use with many people off work for the Labour Day holiday week, have suffered a major… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/1-4-million-chinese-infected-over-holiday-week/

Five ISPs hosting a third of malware, says study

StopBadware survey finds small group of ISPs most to blame.
StopBadware survey finds small group of ISPs most to blame. In a recent study of almost 50,000 sites known to be hosting malware, five ISPs have been identified as repeat… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/five-isps-hosting-third-malware-says-study/

ZOO archive issues hit security vendors

Errors handling rare format patched by four AV and anti-spam products.
Errors handling rare format patched by four AV and anti-spam products. A researcher has revealed details of flawed implementation of a somewhat archaic archive format, .zoo, which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/zoo-archive-issues-hit-security-vendors/

Phishing moves into more new areas

Surveys, phone lines, USB sticks and call girls the latest tactics for spammers and phishers.
Surveys, phone lines, USB sticks and call girls the latest tactics for spammers and phishers. The latest social-engineering methods being put to use by phishers show no let up in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/phishing-moves-more-new-areas/

7 critical flaws patched on Patch Tuesday

May Security Bulletin covers wide range of vulnerabilities.
May Security Bulletin covers wide range of vulnerabilities.Microsoft's latest 'Patch Tuesday' security bulletin included fixes for seven vulnerabilities, all rated 'Critical' and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/7-critical-flaws-patched-patch-tuesday/

I-SPY chases SPY-ACT through approval process

Second piece of US anti-spyware legislation given go-ahead.
Second piece of US anti-spyware legislation given go-ahead. With the 'Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act' (aka SPY-ACT act) approved by a House of Representatives… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/i-spy-chases-spy-act-through-approval-process/

Questionable false positive file removed

Amendment to VB's April Linux comparative review.
Amendment to VB's April Linux comparative review. In Virus Bulletin's April 2007 Linux comparative review (see VB, April 2007, p.11), VB reported that ESET's product NOD32 had… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/questionable-false-positive-file-removed/

Microsoft to beat Symantec to corporate release punch

With Forefront due out soon, Symantec's latest release suffers further delay.
With Forefront due out soon, Symantec's latest release suffers further delay.Microsoft has announced the release to manufacture of Forefront Client, the corporate implementation of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/microsoft-beat-symantec-corporate-release-punch/

Law to stop spam reaching kids dubbed a failure

Utah registry to protect children's email leaks cash and addresses.
Utah registry to protect children's email leaks cash and addresses. A law enacted in the state of Utah, as well as some other states, with the aim of preventing spammers from… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/law-stop-spam-reaching-kids-dubbed-failure/

Botnet DoS no longer profitable

Extortion attacks fall as herders find easier money elsewhere.
Extortion attacks fall as herders find easier money elsewhere. The use of armies of botnets to carry out denial-of-service attacks on lucrative websites, as a method of extorting… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/botnet-dos-no-longer-profitable/

Touchy mail blocker upsets Gay

Content filter berates woman for using own name in mails.
Content filter berates woman for using own name in mails. A woman has complained to the New Zealand ISP Telecom after an email she sent them was bounced back to her, with a message… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/05/touchy-mail-blocker-upsets-gay/

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