VB Blog

First sponsors of VB2017 announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 6, 2017

We are excited to announce the first five sponsors of VB2017, companies based in Europe, Asia and North America.

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Security products and HTTPS: let's do it better

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 27, 2017

A recent paper showed that many HTTPS-intercepting security solutions have implemented TLS rather poorly. Does that mean we should avoid such solutions altogether?

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The SHA-1 hashing algorithm has been 'shattered'

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 23, 2017

Researchers from Google and CWI Amsterdam have created the first known collision of the SHA-1 hashing algorithm, making a very strong case to ditch it.

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Throwback Thursday: Once a researcher...

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 23, 2017

VB was saddened to learn this week of the passing of one of the pioneers of the AV industry, Ross Greenberg. This Throwback Thursday we look back at an interview with Ross in November 1995.

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VB2017: What is happening in the threat landscape and what are we doing against it? Submit a proposal in the VB2017 CFP!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 20, 2017

Have you analysed a new online threat? Do you know a new way to defend against such threats? Then submit an abstract in the CFP for VB2017!

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VB2016 paper: APT reports and OPSEC evolution, or: these are not the APT reports you are looking for

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 17, 2017

APT reports are great for gaining an understanding of how advanced attack groups operate - however, they can also provide free QA for the threat actors. Today, we publish a VB2016 paper by Gadi Evron (Cymmetria) and Inbar Raz (Perimeter X), who discuss what they think is wrong with many APT reports and what can be done to improve them.

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Security for your ears: recommended infosec podcasts

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 14, 2017

Industry veteran Mikko Hyppönen recently urged would-be security researchers to ditch their favourite pop music and listen to security podcasts on their commute to work instead. Virus Bulletin Editor Martijn Grooten shares his favourite security podcasts.

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VB2016 video: Getting duped: piggybacking on webcam streams for surreptitious recordings

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 10, 2017

In a presentation at VB2016, Patrick Wardle, Director of Research at Synack, discussed the possibilities of Mac malware recording the user via the webcam. Today, we publish the video of Patrick's presentation.

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We shouldn't forget those most vulnerable in our digital world

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 9, 2017

Virus Bulletin Editor Martijn Grooten calls for the security community not to forget those most vulnerable in the digital world, including political activists living under oppressive regimes, and victims of abuse.

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Throwback Thursday: A troubled world

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 9, 2017

In early 1991, the world was a troubled place and conflict and violence were being reported globally on a daily basis. With this as a backdrop, the world of "indiscriminate" computer viruses which "victimise in a random and unpredictable manner" seemed relatively trivial to then Editor of VB, Edward Wilding.

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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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