VB Blog

VB2014 Paper: Well, that escalated quickly. From penny-stealing malware to multi-million-dollar heists, a quick overview of the Bitcoin bonanza in the digital era

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 4, 2014

Santiago Pontiroli takes us on a rollercoaster ride through cryptocurrency land.

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The VB2014 presentation you never saw. Early launch Android malware: your phone is 0wned

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 31, 2014

Malicious apps may have more privileges than security software.

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CVE-2012-0158 continues to be used in targeted attacks

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 31, 2014

30-month old vulnerability still a popular way to infect systems.

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Paper: Invading the core: iWorm's infection vector and persistence mechanism

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 30, 2014

Malware spreads through infected torrent, then maintains persistence on the system.

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New IcoScript variant uses Gmail drafts for C&C communication

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 29, 2014

Switch likely to make modular malware even stealthier.

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VB2014 paper: Hiding the network behind the network. Botnet proxy business model

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 28, 2014

Cristina Vatamanu and her colleagues describe how botherders keep their C&C servers hidden.

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VB2014 paper: Methods of malware persistence on Mac OS X

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 27, 2014

'KnockKnock' tool made available to the public.

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Tor exit node found to turn downloaded binaries into malware

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 24, 2014

Tor provides anonymity, not security, hence using HTTPS is essential.

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VB2014 paper: Exposing Android white collar criminals

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 22, 2014

Luis Corrons dives into the world of shady Android apps.

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Black Hat Europe - day 2

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 20, 2014

IPv6 versus IDPS, XSS in WYSIWYG editors, and reflected file downloads.

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Call for Papers: VB2016 Denver

VB seeks submissions for the 26th Virus Bulletin Conference.
VB seeks submissions for the 26th Virus Bulletin Conference.Virus Bulletin is seeking submissions from those wishing to present papers at VB2016, which will take place 5 to 7… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/12/call-papers-denver/

VB2015 video: Making a dent in Russian mobile banking phishing

Sebastian Porst explains what Google has done to protect users from phishing apps targeting Russian banks.
Sebastian Porst explains what Google has done to protect users from phishing apps targeting Russian banks. In the last few years, mobile malware has evolved from a mostly… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/12/video-making-dent-russian-mobile-banking-phishing/

Conference review: Botconf 2015

Third botnet fighting conference another big success.
Third botnet fighting conference another big success. Though only in its third year, Botconf has already become a regular fixture in my schedule. And thus, after having attended… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/12/conference-review-botconf-2015/

High spam catch rates continue in latest spam filter test

US presidential candidates regularly see their emails blocked by spam filters.
US presidential candidates regularly see their emails blocked by spam filters. Yet again, there was good news for most participants in the bi-monthly VBSpam spam filters tests:… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/12/high-spam-catch-rates-continue-latest-spam-filter-test/

Throwback Thursday: A View from the Lab

This Throwback Thursday, VB heads back to 1997 with 'A View from the Lab'.
This Throwback Thursday, VB heads back to 1997 with 'A View from the Lab'. According to its website, the AV-TEST Institute currently registers over 390,000 new malicious programs… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/12/throwback-thursday-view-lab/

December

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/12/

Paper: Optimizing ssDeep for use at scale

Brian Wallace presents tool to optimize ssDeep comparisons.
Brian Wallace presents tool to optimize ssDeep comparisons. Malware rarely comes as a single file, and to avoid having to analyse each sample in a set individually, a fuzzy hashing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/paper-optimizing-ssdeep-use-scale/

Throwback Thursday: Legal attempts to reduce spam. A UK perspective

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to November 2003, when spam was such a hot topic that VB decided to launch a dedicated 'VB Spam Supplement'.
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to November 2003, when spam was such a hot topic that VB decided to launch a dedicated 'VB Spam Supplement'. While, today, spam is a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/throwback-thursday-legal-attempts-reduce-spam-uk-perspective/

Paper: 3ROS exploit framework kit — one more for the infection road

Aditya K. Sood and Rohit Bansal highlight a different side of an exploit kit.
Aditya K. Sood and Rohit Bansal highlight a different side of an exploit kit. Exploit kits are a serious plague on the Internet, made worse by the fact that the online… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/paper-3ros-exploit-framework-kit-one-more-infection-road/

Throwback Thursday: What DDoS it all Mean?

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to March 2000, when DDoS attacks were a newly emerging menace.
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to March 2000, when DDoS attacks were a newly emerging menace. Today, DDoS attacks are a well-known form of cyber abuse — indeed,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/throwback-thursday-what-ddos-it-all-mean/

The Internet of Bad Things, Observed

In his VB2015 keynote address, Ross Anderson described attacks against EMV cards.
In his VB2015 keynote address, Ross Anderson described attacks against EMV cards. The VB2015 opening keynote by Ross Anderson could hardly have been more timely. In his talk "The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/internet-bad-things-observed/

Full house in VB's latest spam filter test

All participating full solutions earn VBSpam certification, while little delay is observed in spam filters.
All participating full solutions earn VBSpam certification, while little delay is observed in spam filters. There is good news for those who rely on spam filters — which means… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/full-house-vb-s-latest-spam-filter-test/

Throwback Thursday: Inside Sony's rootkit

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back ten years, when the discovery of a rootkit ignited a firestorm of criticism for Sony.
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back ten years, when the discovery of a rootkit ignited a firestorm of criticism for Sony. Rootkits are common among modern malware, and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/throwback-thursday-inside-sony-s-rootkit/

Paper: Shifu — the rise of a self-destructive banking trojan

Thorough analysis of this new kid on the malware block.
Thorough analysis of this new kid on the malware block. Times are changing rapidly for banking trojans. Some prominent arrests and at least partially successful takedowns have left… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/paper-shifu-rise-self-destructive-banking-trojan/

Hack.lu 2015

Great research presented in a stimulating environment.
Great research presented in a stimulating environment. I had heard many good stories about previous Hack.lu conferences, so I was excited this year to finally be able to make it… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/hack-lu-2015/

November

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/11/

Throwback Thursday: Memetic Mass Mailers: Time to Classify Hoaxes as Malware?

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to July 2002, when virus hoaxes were wreaking havoc in homes and organizations worldwide.
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to July 2002, when virus hoaxes were wreaking havoc in homes and organizations worldwide. Virus hoaxes — false reports or warnings… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/10/throwback-thursday-memetic-mass-mailers-time-classify-hoaxes-malware/

Throwback Thursday: The real virus problem

Anti-virus and security related articles provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to February 2004 when, in order to get a gauge of the "real" virus problem, Jim Bates presented the findings of a survey of UK… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/10/throwback-thursday-real-virus-problem/

Paper: MWI-5: Operation HawkEye

Gabor Szappanos looks at how macro malware campaigns spread a commercial keylogger to harvest banking details.
Gabor Szappanos looks at how macro malware campaigns spread a commercial keylogger to harvest banking details. Macro malware was a plague in the late 1990s, when Microsoft Office… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/10/paper-mwi-5-operation-hawkeye/

Throwback Thursday: Misguided or malevolent? New trends in virus writing

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to February 2004 when Stuart Taylor wondered whether there was truly a criminal element entering virus writing.
This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to February 2004 when Stuart Taylor wondered whether there was truly a criminal element entering virus writing. These days, no one… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/10/throwback-thursday-misguided-or-malevolent-new-trends-virus-writing/

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