VB Blog

Book review: Countdown to Zero Day

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Dec 18, 2014

Kim Zetter's book on Stuxnet is a must-read for anyone interested in malware - or in 21st century geopolitics.

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Virus Bulletin announces platinum sponsors for VB2015

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Dec 16, 2014

More sponsorship opportunities available.

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VB2014 paper: Smart home appliance security and malware

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Dec 15, 2014

Jeongwook Oh demonstrates how to hack a Samsung smart TV.

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Virus Bulletin is hiring

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Dec 8, 2014

VB seeks a Perl Developer / Security Engineer.

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Conference report: VB2014

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 28, 2014

The biggest and broadest ranging Virus Bulletin conference ever was a great success.

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VB2014 paper: Labelling spam through the analysis of protocol patterns

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 26, 2014

What do your IP packet sizes say about whether you're a spammer?

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Detekt tool searches PCs for traces of surveillance spyware

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 24, 2014

Second opinion essential in circumstances under which likely victims operate.

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Multi-staged, modular Regin tool enables stealthy surveillance

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 24, 2014

Nation state likely behind campaign that goes back many years.

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VB2014 paper: Sweeping the IP space: the hunt for evil on the Internet

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 21, 2014

Dhia Mahjoub explains how the topology of the AS graph can be used to uncover hotspots of maliciousness.

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Botconf 2014 preview

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 21, 2014

Many VB authors and presenters to speak at second botnet-fighting conference.

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Search blog

Canada new hotbed for cybercriminal activity

Country's IP addresses less likely to be scrutinized.
Country's IP addresses less likely to be scrutinized. Security firm Websense has reported a significant increase in cybercrime originating in Canada. Hitherto, Canada and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/05/canada-new-hotbed-cybercriminal-activity/

Cutwail botnet sent 1.7 trillion spam messages

Operators made several million through botnet.
Operators made several million through botnet. Researchers from The Last Line of Defense and universities in Bochum and Santa Barbara have shared some insight into the workings of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/cutwail-botnet-sent-1-7-trillion-spam-messages/

Cybercriminals frustrated with botnet trackers

Drastic measures discussed by users of online forum.
Drastic measures discussed by users of online forum. Russian cybercriminals are willing to go to great lengths to frustrate services that hinder botnets created with the ZeuS and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/cybercriminals-frustrated-botnet-trackers/

'Job application' contains malicious attachment

$150,000 lost via banking trojan.
$150,000 lost via banking trojan. An unidentified US company has learned the hard way that email attachments - even to those that appear to be solicited - may contain malware. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/job-application-contains-malicious-attachment/

18 months for member of m00p gang

Hacker receives prison sentence.
Hacker receives prison sentence. A Scottish man who pleaded guilty last month to 'causing unauthorized modification to the content of computers' as part of his involvement in the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/11/18-months-member-m00p-gang/

Success in anti-botnet operation

VB Seminar speaker describes how m00p gang member exploited computer users.
VB Seminar speaker describes how m00p gang member exploited computer users. A Scottish man pleaded guilty last month to 'causing unauthorized modification to the content of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/11/success-anti-botnet-operation/

Warrant issued for arrest of cyclist turned hacker

Cyclist accused of planting trojan at dope testing lab.
Cyclist accused of planting trojan at dope testing lab. A French judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of US cyclist Floyd Landis in connection with a computer hacking case.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/02/warrant-issued-arrest-cyclist-turned-hacker/

Out-of-band patch release from Adobe

Unscheduled update released by Adobe.
Unscheduled update released by Adobe.Adobe has released an unscheduled patch for its Reader and Acrobat programs to address some critical flaws. The software company's fixes… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/02/out-band-patch-release-adobe/

Webmail data leak hype deflated

Rumoured phishing explosion grabs headlines, reality much more mundane.
Rumoured phishing explosion grabs headlines, reality much more mundane. This week has seen some major news organisations picking up on the story of tens of thousands of sets of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/10/webmail-data-leak-hype-deflated/

Rogue AV claims to send money to environmental causes

'Green AV' best added to blacklist to avoid red faces.
'Green AV' best added to blacklist to avoid red faces. In an attempt to lure users into buying it, the rogue anti-malware product Green AV claims to send US$2 per purchased product… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/09/rogue-av-claims-send-money-environmental-causes/

Keyloggers used to loot US county

$415,000 sneaked from local government funds.
$415,000 sneaked from local government funds. A Kentucky county has suffered losses of $415,000 after keylogging malware infiltrated its computer systems, allowing cybercriminals… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/07/keyloggers-used-loot-us-county/

MS forms anti-Conficker alliance

Industry group to combine efforts, reward offered.
Industry group to combine efforts, reward offered.Microsoft has announced a collaborative effort to combat the Conficker (aka Downadup) botnet, the widespread infection making… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/02/ms-forms-anti-conficker-alliance/

MS report finds phishing revenues overhyped

Huge earnings may be myth, say researchers.
Huge earnings may be myth, say researchers. A report from Microsoft analysing the potential income of phishers claims that the amounts taken from duped victims of online scams may… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/01/ms-report-finds-phishing-revenues-overhyped/

UK to adopt Euro police hacking scheme

Remote search and cyber patrol plans approved.
Remote search and cyber patrol plans approved. The UK Home Office has signed up to a European initiative, proposed in November, to grant police forces greater powers to hack into… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2009/01/uk-adopt-euro-police-hacking-scheme/

Sarkozy bank account raided by cybercrooks

Hackers steal from French president - phish suspected.
Hackers steal from French president - phish suspected. French president Nicolas Sarkozy has had his funds stolen from his bank account, apparently after a phishing email tricked… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/10/sarkozy-bank-account-raided-cybercrooks/

Trojan-to-worm automation tool spotted

GUI gizmo adds extra spreading menace to any malware.
GUI gizmo adds extra spreading menace to any malware. Researchers at Panda have discovered a simple and colourful graphical application designed to add basic worm techniques to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/trojan-worm-automation-tool-spotted/

Spyware gang sneaks millions from SA government

32 arrested but South Africa theft scam thought to be ongoing.
32 arrested but South Africa theft scam thought to be ongoing. An orchestrated series of spyware infiltrations has netted scammers over £12.8 million ($24.7 million) from the South… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/spyware-gang-sneaks-millions-sa-government/

41 months plus hefty fine for botherder

Cross-border operation brings adware crook to book.
Cross-border operation brings adware crook to book. A Florida man has been sentenced to 41 months in prison and fined $65,000 (approx. £32,000) after implanting bot software on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/41-months-plus-hefty-fine-botherder/

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/

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/

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