VB Blog

VB2021 localhost call for papers: a great opportunity

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Mar 17, 2021

VB2021 localhost presents an exciting opportunity to share your research with an even wider cross section of the IT security community around the world than usual, without having to take time out of your work schedule (or budget) to travel.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Mar 2, 2021

In a follow-up to an article published last week, Kurt Natvig takes us through the analysis of a new malicious sample using the .xlsb file format.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Feb 23, 2021

In a new article, researcher Kurt Natvig takes a close look at XF 4.0 malware.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jan 29, 2021

At VB2019, CSIS researcher Benoît Ancel spoke about a quiet banking trojan actor that has been targeting German users since at least 2014.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jan 19, 2021

The call for papers for VB2021 is now open and we want to hear from you - we're planning for flexible presentation formats, so everyone is encouraged to submit, regardless of whether or not you know at this stage whether you'll be able to travel to Prague!

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jan 11, 2021

We were very sorry to learn of the passing of researcher Yonathan Klijnsma last week. Here, former VB Editor Martijn Grooten shares his memories of a talented researcher and a very kind person: this month, infosec lost a really good one.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jan 8, 2021

VB has made all VB2020 localhost presentations available on the VB YouTube channel, so you can now watch - and share - any part of the conference freely and without registration.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Dec 8, 2020

At VB2020 localhost, threat intelligence consultant Jamie Collier used the analytical technique of backcasting to look at the rise and fall of the cyber threat intelligence industry.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Dec 4, 2020

At VB2020 localhost, Carbon Black's Scott Knight presented an approach he and his colleagues have taken to more realistically simulate malware attacks.

Posted by Virus Bulletin on Dec 2, 2020

At VB2020, researcher Paul Litvak revealed how he put together a comprehensive map of threat actor use of open-source offensive security tools.

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VB2019 call for papers closes this weekend

The call for papers for VB2019 closes on 17 March, and while we've already received many great submissions, we still want more!
This weekend the call for papers for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, will close. For those who like to submit at the very last minute, the CFP closes… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2019-call-papers-closes-weekend/

Registration open for VB2019 ─ book your ticket now!

Registration for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, is now open, with an early bird rate available until 1 July.
Registration is now open for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference, which will take place 2-4 October in London, UK. One of the longest-running security… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/registration-open-vb2019-book-your-ticket-now/

The VB2019 call for papers is about ... papers

When we are calling for papers for the Virus Bulletin conference as we are doing now, we really mean a written paper. But don't worry if you've never written a paper - we can help!
The Call for Papers for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin Conference (London, 2-4 October) is open until Sunday 17 March. When we say "call for papers" we really put the emphasis… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2019-call-papers-about-papers/

VB2018 video: Adware is just malware with a legal department - how we reverse engineered OSX/Pirrit, received legal threats, and survived

Amit Serper first analysed the OSX/Pirrit adware in 2016, highlighting some of its malware-like techniques, and soon afterwards started receiving legal threats from the company behind it. At VB2018 Amit gave a presentation in which he discussed both the a…
OSX/Pirrit was first analysed in 2016 by Cybereason's Amit Serper in a guest blog post for the Objective See blog. It is an interesting and technically thorough analysis of a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2018-video-adware-just-malware-legal-department-how-we-reverse-engineered-osxpirrit-received-legal-threats-and-survived/

VB2018 paper: Anatomy of an attack: detecting and defeating CRASHOVERRIDE

In December 2016, the CRASHOVERRIDE malware framework was used to cause a blackout in Ukraine. At VB2018 in Montreal, Dragos researcher Joe Slowik presented a detailed paper on the framework, explaining how the malware works and how it targets various pro…
Anatomy of an attack: detecting and defeating CRASHOVERRIDE Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) If you're going to be at the RSA Conference in San… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2018-paper-anatomy-attack-detecting-and-defeating-crashoverride/

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

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.
Here at VB we often talk about the importance of sharing intelligence, and many of us coming into the industry for the first time have been genuinely surprised by the willingness… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/vb2018-presentation-levelling-why-sharing-threat-intelligence-makes-you-more-competitive/

March

https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/03/

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

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 c…
This blog post was put together in collaboration with VB test engineers Adrian Luca and Ionuţ Răileanu. Virus Bulletin uses email feeds provided by Abusix and Project Honey Pot.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/malspam-security-products-miss-emotet-ursnif-and-spammers-blunder/

VB2018 paper: The modality of mortality in domain names

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.
The modality of mortality in domain names Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) Have you carried out research that furthers our understanding of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-modality-mortality-domain-names/

VB2018 paper: Analysing compiled binaries using logic

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 analys…
Analysing compiled binaries using logic Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF) Static analysis of malware is usually "done by a person (a security analyst) who… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-analysing-compiled-binaries-using-logic/

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

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.
There is a little less than a month left until the deadline (17 March) of the call for papers for VB2019, the 29th Virus Bulletin International Conference. Over almost three… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/virus-bulletin-encourages-experienced-speakers-and-newcomers-alike-submit-proposals-vb2019/

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

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 th…
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, said "I hope we use the Net to cross barriers and connect cultures". Yet increasingly we are seeing barriers being raised not… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-internet-balkanization-why-are-we-raising-borders-online/

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

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.
This blog post was put together in collaboration with VB test engineers Adrian Luca and Ionuţ Răileanu. Virus Bulletin uses email feeds provided by Abusix and Project Honey Pot.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/malspam-security-products-miss-banking-and-email-phishing-emotet-and-bushaloader/

VB2018 paper: Where have all the good hires gone?

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 a…
Did you see we have opened the Call for Papers for VB2019 in London? Submit your abstract before 17 March for a chance to make it onto the programme of one of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-where-have-all-good-hires-gone/

Preview: Nullcon 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.
Does it matter that the number of new malware samples keeps growing? What does the meteoric rise in cryptocurrency malware indicate? Why is there barely any malware on iOS? Which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/preview-nullcon-2019/

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

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 campai…
This blog post was put together in collaboration with VB test engineers Adrian Luca and Ionuţ Răileanu. On this blog, we regularly look at those phishing and malware emails… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/amazon-ups-emotet-formbook-and-lokibot-look-those-phishing-and-malware-emails-bypassed-email-security-products/

February

https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/

VB2018 paper: Little Brother is watching – we know all your secrets!

At VB2018 in Montreal, researchers from Fraunhofer SIT looked at privacy vulnerabilities in legitimate Android family-tracking apps that leaked location data. Today, we publish both their paper and the video of their presentation.
The use of mobile spyware to spy on (ex-)partners is an underreported problem, despite the prevalence of such apps and their use in cases of domestic violence. At VB2017 in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/02/vb2018-paper-little-brother-watching-we-know-all-your-secrets/

Threat intelligence teams should consider recruiting journalists

Threat intelligence teams would do well to recruit journalists, whose experience is crucial in today's threat landscape.
These aren't easy times for journalists. Last week's laying off of dozens of journalists at BuzzFeed, including its full national security desk, contributed to more than 1,000… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/01/threat-intelligence-teams-should-consider-recruiting-journalists/

From HSBC to product descriptions: the malicious emails bypassing your filters

Using data from our VBSpam lab, we looked at the malicious emails that have been missed recently by a large number of email security products.
Over a one-week period earlier this month, the average email with a malicious attachment was almost three times as likely to bypass email security products than a spam email… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2019/01/hsbc-product-descriptions-malicious-emails-bypassing-your-filters/

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