VB Blog

We are more ready for IPv6 email than we may think

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jun 21, 2018

Though IPv6 is gradually replacing IPv4 on the Internet's network layer, email is lagging behind, the difficulty in blocking spam sent over IPv6 cited as a reason not to move. But would we really have such a hard time blocking spam sent over IPv6?

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Subtle change could see a reduction in installation of malicious Chrome extensions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jun 13, 2018

Google has made a subtle change to its Chrome browser, banning the inline installation of new extensions, thus making it harder for malware authors to trick users into unwittingly installing malicious extensions.

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Paper: EternalBlue: a prominent threat actor of 2017–2018

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jun 11, 2018

We publish a paper by researchers from Quick Heal Security Labs in India, who study the EternalBlue and DoublePulsar exploits in full detail.

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'North Korea' a hot subject among VB2018 talks

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jun 1, 2018

Several VB2018 papers deal explicitly or implicitly with threats that have been attributed to North Korean actors.

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Expired domain led to SpamCannibal's blacklist eating the whole world

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 31, 2018

The domain of the little-used SpamCannibal DNS blacklist had expired, resulting in it effectively listing every single IP address.

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MnuBot banking trojan communicates via SQL server

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 30, 2018

Researchers at IBM X-Force have discovered MnuBot, a banking trojan targeting users in Brazil, which is noteworthy for using SQL Server for command and control communication.

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Throwback Thursday: Giving the EICAR test file some teeth

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 24, 2018

The 68-byte EICAR test file plays as important a role today as it did 19 years ago. In this week's Throwback Thursday we look back at a VB99 conference paper in which Randy Abrams described how this 'miracle tool' worked and how it could be used.

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XMRig used in new macOS cryptominer

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 23, 2018

A new piece of cryptocurrency-mining malware on macOS has been found to use the popular XMRig miner.

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Tendency for DDoS attacks to become less volumetric fits in a wider trend

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 22, 2018

CDN provider Cloudflare reports an increase in DDoS attacks targeting layer 7 and focusing on exhausting server resources rather than sending large volumes of data. This fits in a wider trend.

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Turkish Twitter users targeted with mobile FinFisher spyware

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   May 15, 2018

Through fake social media accounts, users were tricked into installing an Android application that was actually a mobile version of the FinFisher spyware.

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VB2019 paper: The cake is a lie! Uncovering the secret world of malware-like cheats in video games

At VB2019 in London, Kaspersky researcher Santiago Pontiroli presented a paper on the growing illegal economy around video game cheats and its parallels with the malware industry. Today we publish both Santiago's paper and the recording of his presentatio…
The cake is a lie! Uncovering the secret world of malware-like cheats in video games Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF)       Have you carried out… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/02/vb2019-paper-cake-lie-uncovering-secret-world-malware-cheats-video-games/

VB2019 presentation: Targeted attacks through ISPs

In 2019 we saw a rise in the number of targeted malware infections spread via ISPs and service providers. In a last-minute paper presented at VB2019 in London, Kaspersky researcher Denis Legezo discussed the details of a number of such cases. Today we rel…
In 2019 we saw an increase in the number of targeted malware infections spread via ISPs and service providers. Some notable cases included the installation of digital certificates… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/01/vb2019-presentation-targeted-attacks-through-isps/

Latest Virus Bulletin report shows the difference web security products make

The latest Virus Bulletin web security report sees Kaspersky, Trustwave and Fortinet all achieve VBWeb certification, but also see some products struggle with the new Fallout exploit kit.
Extremely targeted attacks aside, when a user gets infected through the web, it means something has happened that should not have. Either the user clicked on a link they shouldn't… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2018/11/latest-virus-bulletin-report-shows-difference-web-security-products-make/

Despite the profitability of ransomware there is a good reason why mining malware is thriving

Though ransomware is far more profitable than using a compromised PC to mine bitcoins, the global distribution of malware means that there are many botnets for which mining is the most efficient way to extract money out of a PC.
When, a few years ago, a friend and I were analysing a rather large botnet and we saw some network traffic indicating that it was engaged in Bitcoin mining, we felt rather… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2017/09/despite-profitability-ransomware-there-good-reason-why-mining-malware-thriving/

VB2016 paper: Steam stealers: it's all fun and games until someone's account gets hijacked

Last year, Kaspersky Lab researcher Santiago Pontiroli and PwC's Bart Parys presented a VB2016 paper analysing the malicious threats faced by users of the Steam online gaming platform, and highlighting how organized criminals are making money with these p…
The online games market is huge, and the Steam platform is a huge player in that market. Users registered on the Steam platform use their credit cards to buy content, and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2017/06/vb2016-paper-steam-stealers-its-all-fun-and-games-until-someones-account-gets-hijacked/

Duqu 2.0 found to target security company

Advanced malware also targeted venues linked to Iranian nuclear negotiations.
Advanced malware also targeted venues linked to Iranian nuclear negotiations. There are some security stories you couldn't make up. The authors of an advanced malware tool have… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/06/duqu-2-0-found-target-security-company/

AV-Test.org issues latest round of testing results

Symantec and Microsoft outdo Trend and McAfee in live tests.
Symantec and Microsoft outdo Trend and McAfee in live tests. Independent testing organisation AV-Test.org has released its latest round of test results in a simplified format,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/av-test-org-issues-latest-round-testing-results/

VB100 update

Adjustments to test scores affect Kaspersky, VirusBuster.
Adjustments to test scores affect Kaspersky, VirusBuster. In the wake of the recent VB100 comparative, covering a massive 54 products on Windows Vista SP2, further double-checking… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/update/

Anti-spam products do well in VB testing

VB announces anti-spam certification results.
VB announces anti-spam certification results.Virus Bulletin has announced that 12 products earned VBSpam awards in its latest round of comparative anti-spam testing. A total of 14… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/11/anti-spam-products-do-well-vb-testing/

Kaspersky website suffers SQL vulnerability

Hackers gain access to tables, no user data stolen.
Hackers gain access to tables, no user data stolen. A security flaw in a local website of security firm Kaspersky Lab was spotted by hackers over the weekend, with an SQL infection… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/02/kaspersky-website-suffers-sql-vulnerability/

File encryption blackmail scam returns

Kaspersky warns of new and nasty data-ransom trojan.
Kaspersky warns of new and nasty data-ransom trojan. Malware analysts at Kaspersky Lab have warned of the return of the 'Gpcoder' trojan, a nasty piece of 'ransomware' which… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/file-encryption-blackmail-scam-returns/

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/

One in four consider online banking unsafe

Virus Bulletin finds that one in four users consider online banking to be unsafe, but manage their accounts online regardless, while 50% of users consider online banking to be risk free.
Virus Bulletin finds that one in four users consider online banking to be unsafe, but manage their accounts online regardless, while 50% of users consider online banking to be risk… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/11/one-four-consider-online-banking-unsafe/

Kaspersky teams up with Bit9

Whitelisting knowledgebase to be used in future security products.
Whitelisting knowledgebase to be used in future security products. A strategic partnership has been announced between Kaspersky Labs and application control specialist Bit9. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/11/kaspersky-teams-bit9/

Kaspersky fixes serious vulnerability in Online Scanner

Exploitable ActiveX control replaced in new version.
Exploitable ActiveX control replaced in new version.Kaspersky Lab has released an updated version of its popular free online scanner to remedy a vulnerability in an ActiveX control… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/10/kaspersky-fixes-serious-vulnerability-online-scanner/

AOL quietly drops free-to-all AV offering

Gratis software now for members only, old users may be at risk.
Gratis software now for members only, old users may be at risk. A month ago we reported on AOL's switch of providers for its free anti-virus software offering, from the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/09/aol-quietly-drops-free-all-av-offering/

Kaspersky-Zango case heralded as groundbreaking

Judge sets precedent upholding users' rights to block badware.
Judge sets precedent upholding users' rights to block badware. A lawsuit brought by adware-pusher Zango against Kaspersky Lab was dismissed last week, with the judge in the case… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/09/kaspersky-zango-case-heralded-groundbreaking/

Kaspersky shuffles structure ready for IPO

Corporate reshaping prepares company for floatation.
Corporate reshaping prepares company for floatation. Russian security experts Kaspersky Lab have announced the setting up of a board of directors to run the company, as a step… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/08/kaspersky-shuffles-structure-ready-ipo/

AOL drops Kaspersky for McAfee

Web giant changes provider of free security software for members.
Web giant changes provider of free security software for members. Giant ISP and web services provider AOL is offering a free, special edition version of McAfee security software to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/08/aol-drops-kaspersky-mcafee/

Ransomware returns

Trojan hides personal data, demands money with menaces.
Trojan hides personal data, demands money with menaces. A new version of a ransomware trojan has been sighted, recalling the warnings of two years ago when similar items first… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/07/ransomware-returns/

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