VB Blog

Stalkerware poses particular challenges to anti-virus products

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 31, 2019

Malware used in domestic abuse situations is a growing threat, and the standard way for anti-virus products to handle such malware may not be good enough. But that doesn't mean there isn't an important role for anti-virus to play.

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VB2019 paper: Inside Magecart: the history behind the covert card-skimming assault on the e-commerce industry

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 28, 2019

Today we publish the VB2019 paper by RiskIQ researcher Yonathan Klijnsma, who looked at the Magecart web-skimming attacks.

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VB2019 videos: partner presentations

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 25, 2019

Today, we publish the videos of the VB2019 partner presentations by Michael Maltsev (Reason Cybersecurity) on webcam interception and protection, and by Jean-Ian Boutin and Anton Cherepanov (ESET) on the Buhtrap group.

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VB tests the web security products that play an important role in fending off web-based threats

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 24, 2019

The web continues to be a major infection vector for malware and credential-stealing threats. In the VBWeb tests, we measure products' ability to block such threats and certify products that perform a good job at doing so.

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VB2019 papers: Emotet and Ryuk

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 23, 2019

Today we publish VB2019 papers by Luca Nagy (Sophos) on Emotet and Gabriela Nicolao and Luciano Martins (Deloitte) on Ryuk, as well as the corresponding videos of their presentations.

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Responsible madness?

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 22, 2019

The debate on responsible disclosure is about as old as IT security itself. In a guest post for Virus Bulletin Robert Neumann suggests we need to reconsider a one-size-fits-all solution and instead look for a well-respected independent organization to handle security issues.

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VB2019 paper: Geost botnet. The story of the discovery of a new Android banking trojan from an OpSec error

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Oct 21, 2019

OpSec mistakes are what lead to many malware discoveries, and in the case of the Geost Android botnet the mistake was a really interesting one. Today we publish the VB2019 paper by Sebastian García, Maria Jose Erquiaga and Anna Shirokova on the Geost botnet, as well as the recording of Sebastian and Anna presenting their research in London.

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Analysis of malware responsible for sextortion spam that mines for Monero on the side

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 14, 2019

VB2019 Platinum partner Reason Cybersecurity presents a threat analysis report on the Save Yourself malware.

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Guest blog: Threat intelligence – a unifying force of the future

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 4, 2019

In a guest blog post VB2019 Platinum partner Reason Cybersecurity looks to the future of threat intelligence.

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Guest blog: Why we should be paying more attention to Linux threats

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Sep 25, 2019

In a guest blog post VB2019 Silver partner Intezer outlines the importance of paying attention to Linux threats.

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VB2021 localhost call for last-minute papers

The call for last-minute papers for VB2021 localhost is now open. Submit before 20 August to have your paper considered for one of the slots reserved for 'hot' research!
Have you analysed a brand new online threat? Are you involved in cutting edge security research? Are you tasked with securing systems and fending off attacks and developing new… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/08/vb2021-localhost-call-last-minute-papers/

New article: Run your malicious VBA macros anywhere!

Kurt Natvig explains how he recompiled malicious VBA macro code to valid harmless Python 3.x code.
Office documents have over many decades been used to launch malware, often through macros, embedded content or exploits. Researcher Kurt Natvig wanted to understand whether… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/04/new-article-run-your-malicious-vba-macros-anywhere/

New article: Dissecting the design and vulnerabilities in AZORult C&C panels

In a new article, Aditya K Sood looks at the command-and-control (C&C) design of the AZORult malware, discussing his team's findings related to the C&C design and some security issues they identified.
Dissecting the Design and Vulnerabilities in AZORult C&C Panels Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF)   If you have some research you'd like to share with the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/04/new-article-dissecting-design-and-vulnerabilities-azorult-cc-panels/

VB2021 localhost call for papers: a great opportunity

VB2021 localhost presents an exciting opportunity to share your research with an even wider cross section of the IT security community around the world than usual, without having to take time out of your work schedule (or budget) to travel.
Earlier this week VB took the tough decision to cancel the in-person version of VB2021 in Prague. We had really hoped to be able to host an in-person event this year, but with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/03/vb2021-localhost-call-papers-great-opportunity/

New article: Excel Formula/Macro in .xlsb?

In a follow-up to an article published last week, Kurt Natvig takes us through the analysis of a new malicious sample using the .xlsb file format.
Excel Formula/Macro in .xlsb? Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF)   Excel Formula, or XLM – does it ever stop giving pain to researchers? So asks Forcepoint… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/02/new-article-excel-formulamacro-xlsb/

New article: Decompiling Excel Formula (XF) 4.0 malware

In a new article, researcher Kurt Natvig takes a close look at XF 4.0 malware.
Decompiling Excel Formula (XF) 4.0 malware Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF)   Office malware has been around for a long time, but until recently Excel Formula… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/02/new-article-decompiling-excel-formula-xf-40-malware/

The Bagsu banker case - presentation

At VB2019, CSIS researcher Benoît Ancel spoke about a quiet banking trojan actor that has been targeting German users since at least 2014.
Some time ago, researchers at CSIS Security Group discovered the infrastructure of a "quiet" banking trojan actor that had been targeting German users since at least 2014. At… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/01/bagsu-banker-case-presentation/

VB2021 call for papers - now open, to all!

The call for papers for VB2021 is now open and we want to hear from you - we're planning for flexible presentation formats, so everyone is encouraged to submit, regardless of whether or not you know at this stage whether you'll be able to travel to Prague…
2020 proved to be an extraordinary – in the true sense of the word – year for everyone, and 2021 has already thrown some curveballs in the short few weeks since it began.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/01/vb2021-call-papers-now-open-all/

In memoriam: Yonathan Klijnsma

We were very sorry to learn of the passing of researcher Yonathan Klijnsma last week. Here, former VB Editor Martijn Grooten shares his memories of a talented researcher and a very kind person: this month, infosec lost a really good one.
We were very sorry to learn of the passing of researcher Yonathan Klijnsma last week and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Here, former VB Editor Martijn… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/01/memoriam-yonathan-klijnsma/

VB2020 localhost videos available on YouTube

VB has made all VB2020 localhost presentations available on the VB YouTube channel, so you can now watch - and share - any part of the conference freely and without registration.
Today, VB has made all VB2020 localhost presentations available on VB's YouTube channel, so you can now watch – and share – any part of the conference freely and without… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2021/01/vb2020-localhost-videos-available-youtube/

VB2020 presentation & paper: 2030: backcasting the potential rise and fall of cyber threat intelligence

At VB2020 localhost, threat intelligence consultant Jamie Collier used the analytical technique of backcasting to look at the rise and fall of the cyber threat intelligence industry.
Backcasting is an analytical technique that establishes an imagined future scenario and then works backwards to understand what caused that outcome. At VB2020, FireEye's Jamie… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/12/vb2020-presentation-paper-2030-backcasting-potential-rise-and-fall-cyber-threat-intelligence/

VB2020 presentation: Behind the Black Mirror: simulating attacks with mock C2 servers

At VB2020 localhost, Carbon Black's Scott Knight presented an approach he and his colleagues have taken to more realistically simulate malware attacks.
Dynamic analysis of a malicious sample in a lab setup can be hampered by the absence of the malware's C2 server listening and providing responses – potentially resulting in only a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/12/vb2020-presentation-behind-black-mirror-simulating-attacks-mock-c2-servers/

VB2020 presentation & paper: Advanced Pasta Threat: mapping threat actor usage of open-source offensive security tools

At VB2020, researcher Paul Litvak revealed how he put together a comprehensive map of threat actor use of open-source offensive security tools.
The development and publication of offensive security tools (OSTs) is a point of great controversy in the information security community: while some argue that releasing such… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/12/vb2020-presentation-paper-advanced-pasta-threat-mapping-threat-actor-usage-open-source-offensive-security-tools/

VB2020 presentation: Evolution of Excel 4.0 macro weaponization

At VB2020 localhost James Haughom, Stefano Ortolani and Baibhav Singh gave a presentation in which they described how XL4 macros are being weaponised and the evolution of the techniques used.
The use by attackers of legitimate Excel 4.0 (XL4) macros as a simple and reliable method to gain a foothold on a target network is becoming increasingly popular and presents a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/11/vb2020-presentation-evolution-excel-40-macro-weaponization/

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