VB Blog

Paper: Hype heuristics, signatures and the death of AV (again)

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Aug 7, 2015

David Harley responds to anti-malware's many criticasters.

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Throwback Thursday: Palm Breach

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Aug 6, 2015

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to July 2000, when concerns were growing about malicious threats to the Palm Personal Digital Assistant.

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Compromised site serves Nuclear exploit kit together with fake BSOD

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 31, 2015

Support scammers not lying about a malware infection for a change.

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Throwback Thursday: Riotous Assembly

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 30, 2015

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to January 1994, shortly after Cyber Riot had emerged as the first virus capable of infecting the Windows kernel.

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Stagefright vulnerability leaves 950 million Android devices vulnerable to remote code execution

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 28, 2015

The operating system has been patched, but it is unclear whether users will receive those patches.

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Throwback Thursday: Sizewell B: Fact or Fiction?

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 23, 2015

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to 1993, when VB asked the key question: could a virus compromise safety at one of Britain's nuclear power plants?

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Call for last-minute papers for VB2015 announced

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 21, 2015

Ten speaking slots waiting to be filled with presentations on 'hot' security topics.

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'NOMORE' attack makes RC4 a little weaker again

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 20, 2015

No good reason to continue using the stream cipher, yet attacks remain impractical.

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Spam levels fall below 50% for the first time in 12 years

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 20, 2015

Decline not necessarily good news for spam filters.

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Throwback Thursday: What You Pay For...

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Jul 16, 2015

This Throwback Thursday, we turn the clock back to 1996, when VB looked at what was available to protect your computer free of charge.

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VB2017 paper: Offensive malware analysis: dissecting OSX/FruitFly.B via a custom C&C server

At VB2017 in Madrid, macOS malware researcher Patrick Wardle presented the details of a specific piece of Mac malware, FruitFly, which he analysed through a custom C&C server - a technique that will also be of interest for researchers of malware on other …
Few readers of this blog will believe that there aren't any security issues with Apple's macOS operating system, a point made rather unsubtly by yesterday's discovery of a flaw… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2017/11/vb2017-paper-offensive-malware-analysis-dissecting-osxfruitflyb-custom-cc-server/

By removing VPNs from its Chinese App Store, Apple turns its biggest security asset against its users

To comply with Chinese laws, Apple has removed all iOS VPN apps from its Chinese app store. This means that the company uses iOS's strongest security asset, its tightly controlled App Store, against its own users.
A little over a month ago, Apple's iPhone celebrated its tenth birthday. The iPhone has been one of the biggest commercial success stories ever, but it has also been a great… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2017/08/removing-vpns-its-chinese-app-store-apple-turns-its-biggest-security-asset-aggasnt-its-users/

Paper: Dylib hijacking on OS X

Patrick Wardle shows how OS X is also vulnerable to once common Windows attacks.
Patrick Wardle shows how OS X is also vulnerable to once common Windows attacks. A few years ago, DLL hijacking on Windows was really hot, despite the fact that the concept had… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2015/03/paper-dylib-hijacking-os-x/

VB2014 paper: Apple without a shell - iOS under targeted attack

Developer Enterprise Program recently found to be used by WireLurker.
Developer Enterprise Program recently found to be used by WireLurker.Over the next few months, we will be sharing VB2014 conference papers as well as video recordings of the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/paper-apple-without-shell-ios-under-targeted-attack/

WireLurker malware infects iOS devices through OS X

Non-jailbroken devices infected via enterprise provisioning program.
Non-jailbroken devices infected via enterprise provisioning program. Researchers at Palo Alto Networks have published a research paper (PDF) analysing the 'WireLurker' malware that… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/11/wirelurker-malware-infects-ios-devices-through-os-x/

VB2014 preview: Apple without a shell - iOS under targeted attack

FireEye researchers show a large attack vector for Apple's mobile operating system.
FireEye researchers show a large attack vector for Apple's mobile operating system.In the weeks running up to VB2014 (the 24th Virus Bulletin International Conference), we are… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2014/09/preview-apple-without-shell-ios-under-targeted-attack/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenters Lysa Myers and David Harley about their research interests and what they aim to bring to the conference.
We speak to VB2013 presenters Lysa Myers and David Harley about their research interests and what they aim to bring to the conference. The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/06/speaker-spotlight-harley-myers/

Security fixes from Apple and Microsoft

100 security fixes in latest OS X update; three MS security updates in this month's patch release.
100 security fixes in latest OS X update; three MS security updates in this month's patch release. The latest release of Mac operating system OS X (Mac OS X v10.6.5) contains over… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/11/security-fixes-apple-and-microsoft/

Android SMS trojan goes wild

Premium-rate text scam shows growing cracks in smart phone security.
Premium-rate text scam shows growing cracks in smart phone security. The first known SMS trojan affecting smart phones running Google's Android operating system has been observed… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/08/android-sms-trojan-goes-wild/

Patches come thick and fast in major update spree

Monthly and out-of-band issues flood admins' to-do lists.
Monthly and out-of-band issues flood admins' to-do lists. The release of this month's Patch Tuesday security bulletins from Microsoft, with a fairly average 10 alerts covering 34… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2010/06/patches-come-thick-and-fast-major-update-spree/

Macs under attack from trojan double whammy

Two new threats in a week spark worries of approaching Mac malware era.
Two new threats in a week spark worries of approaching Mac malware era. Users of Apple Mac systems, who have so far only suffered from minimal attention from malware creators, may… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/macs-under-attack-trojan-double-whammy/

Microsoft increases pressure on Apple to fix Safari blended threat

'Carpet bombing' vulnerability more serious than Apple claims, MS warns.
'Carpet bombing' vulnerability more serious than Apple claims, MS warns.Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer has come under frequent criticism for security vulnerabilities, has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/06/microsoft-increases-pressure-apple-fix-safari-blended-threat/

Bugs found in Apple's new Windows browser within hours of release

Safari not so good-y.
Safari not so good-y. A number of security researchers say they found bugs in Apple's brand new web browser Safari for Windows just hours after its public beta release on 11 June.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/bugs-found-apple-s-new-windows-browser-within-hours-release/

Vulnerabilities strike more AV firms, and Mac too

F-Secure and Authentium patch holes, while Samba flaws worry Apple users.
F-Secure and Authentium patch holes, while Samba flaws worry Apple users. Users of Mac OS X, used to a cosy sense of security, have been warned of possible penetration vectors… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2007/06/vulnerabilities-strike-more-av-firms-and-mac-too/

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