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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Search blog

Google shows off in-house browser beta

Open-source 'Chrome' promises security as well as efficiency.
Open-source 'Chrome' promises security as well as efficiency. Ever-expanding web giant Google has released an early version of its own browser, developed in house but under… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/09/google-shows-house-browser-beta/

Net threats cost US $8.5 billion in two years

Study measures scale of scamming and other web worries.
Study measures scale of scamming and other web worries. US consumer watchdog body Consumer Reports have released their annual 'State of the Net' study, finding a noticeable decline… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/08/net-threats-cost-us-8-5-billion-two-years/

Spam and ID theft attacked from all sides

EU body issues warning, ICANN, Japan and Yahoo! take on spammers and phishers.
EU body issues warning, ICANN, Japan and Yahoo! take on spammers and phishers. Last week a series of major institutions took action highlighting the threat of spam and phishing,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/spam-and-id-theft-attacked-all-sides/

Phishing on rise, but anti-phishers fighting back

As UK banking body reports major increase in phishes, PayPal unveils blocking strategy.
As UK banking body reports major increase in phishes, PayPal unveils blocking strategy. A report from the UK payments industry association APACS has shown a dramatic increase in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/phishing-rise-anti-phishers-fighting-back/

Users of online banking 'should have adequate protection'

New UK banking code says customers who keep their PCs secure will not be responsible for losses due to online theft.
New UK banking code says customers who keep their PCs secure will not be responsible for losses due to online theft. A new banking code launched earlier this week by the British'… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/04/users-online-banking-should-have-adequate-protection/

Vish implanted in phishing warning

Doctored bank alert includes phony phone number.
Doctored bank alert includes phony phone number. A spammed-out email has been spotted posing as a phishing warning from US credit union Kessler Federal, with some very sensible… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/02/vish-implanted-phishing-warning/

Meta-phishing

Phishing warning contains link to... phishing site.
Phishing warning contains link to... phishing site. The anti-malware industry can congratulate itself for there being an increasing awareness among users about phishing. Users are… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/02/meta-phishing/

Phishers phishing phishers' phishes

Scam software secretly sending stolen data to creators.
Scam software secretly sending stolen data to creators.Phishing researchers have uncovered code buried in phishing software kits, sold by developers to less technically aware… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/02/phishers-phishing-phishers-phishes/

Complex attack targets Better Business Bureau

Sophisticated scam uses personalised mails, real site redirects.
Sophisticated scam uses personalised mails, real site redirects. A highly sophisticated email phishing scam is using a redirection flaw in the website of the Better Business Bureau… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/02/complex-attack-targets-better-business-bureau/

419 scammers plead guilty in US

African trio admit attempts to defraud via spam.
African trio admit attempts to defraud via spam. Three men, two from Nigeria and a third from Senegal, entered guilty pleas in a Brooklyn, New York, courtroom last week after being… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/02/419-scammers-plead-guilty-us/

US agencies report vishing, extortion, danger of hacking

FBI name used in email attacks, CIA warns of power supply hacks.
FBI name used in email attacks, CIA warns of power supply hacks. US security and law enforcement agencies were more than usually active in the computer security world last week,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/01/us-agencies-report-vishing-extortion-danger-hacking/

Help for victims of e-crime

Cybercrime support website launched.
Cybercrime support website launched. A website dedicated to helping victims of online crime and other incidents has been launched in the UK. The site, www.e-victims.org, aims to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/01/help-victims-e-crime/

Phishing danger increases as Storm botnet is hired out

Smart new trojan and Storm diversification add to online banking risk.
Smart new trojan and Storm diversification add to online banking risk. The dangers of banking online grew significantly in past weeks, as portions of the ever-expanding Storm… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/01/phishing-danger-increases-storm-botnet-hired-out/

$3.2 billion lost in phishing attacks in 2007

Gartner survey reveals US losses to phishing gangs.
Gartner survey reveals US losses to phishing gangs. Analyst firm Gartner has estimated that $3.2 billion was lost by 3.6 million US computer users in phishing attacks over the 12… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/12/3-2-billion-lost-phishing-attacks-2007/

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/

Phished Salesforce.com data used for phishing attacks

Password leak leads to major CRM customer data haul.
Password leak leads to major CRM customer data haul. A security breach at customer relationship management (CRM) firm Salesforce.com has led to a large-scale leak of confidential… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/11/phished-salesforce-com-data-used-phishing-attacks/

Supermarket sweep

Phishers almost get away with $10m scam.
Phishers almost get away with $10m scam. Court documents have revealed that phishers nearly managed a whopping $10 million supermarket (bank account) sweep earlier this year.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/11/supermarket-sweep/

Phishing trojan targets Mac OSX

DNS hijack disguised as codec threatens Apple systems.
DNS hijack disguised as codec threatens Apple systems. A new trojan affecting Apple's Mac OSX operating system - a relative rarity in the malware world - has been seen in the wild.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/11/phishing-trojan-targets-mac-osx/

Bulletproof hosting firm claims legitimacy

Crime-laden Russian service threatens to sue detractors.
Crime-laden Russian service threatens to sue detractors. A notorious Russian firm offering 'bulletproof hosting' - website hosting services with a guarantee that sites will not be… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/10/bulletproof-hosting-firm-claims-legitimacy/

Phil makes anti-phishing education child's play

Researchers create game to raise awareness.
Researchers create game to raise awareness. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created an interactive game designed to teach players how to identify phishing URLs and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/10/phil-makes-anti-phishing-education-child-s-play/

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