VB Blog

There are lessons to be learned from government websites serving cryptocurrency miners

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 12, 2018

Thousands of websites, including many sites of government organisations in the UK, the US and Sweden, were recently found to have been serving a cryptocurrency miner. More interesting than the incident itself, though, are the lessons that can be learned from it.

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We need to continue the debate on the ethics and perils of publishing security research

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 9, 2018

An article by security researcher Collin Anderson reopens the debate on whether publishing threat analyses is always in the public interest.

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WordPress users urged to manually update to fix bug that prevents automatic updating

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 8, 2018

Users of the popular WordPress content management system are urged to manually update their installation to version 4.9.4, as a bug in the previous version broke the ability to automatically install updates.

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New paper: A review of the evolution of Andromeda over the years

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 7, 2018

The Andromeda botnet (aka Gamarue or Wauchos) has plagued Internet users for more than half a decade but, following a takedown effort and the arrest of the suspected botnet owner in December 2017, it is likely we have seen the end of it. In a new paper by Fortinet researchers Bahare Sabouri and He Xu, we look back at the evolution of Andromeda from version 2.06 to 2.10 and demonstrate both how it improved its loader to evade automatic analysis/detection and how the payload varied among the different versions.

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There is no evidence in-the-wild malware is using Meltdown or Spectre

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 2, 2018

Reports of malware using the Meltdown or Spectre attacks are likely based on proof-of-concept code rather than files written for a malicious purpose.

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Throwback Thursday: Malware taking a bit(coin) more than we bargained for

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 1, 2018

This Throwback Thursday, we republish the VB2012 paper by Microsoft researcher Amir Fouda, one of the earliest papers to look at malware targeting Bitcoin.

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First time speaker? Don't be afraid of submitting to the VB2018 CFP

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 31, 2018

We especially encourage those less experienced in speaking in public to submit to the call for papers for VB2018, where we aim to provide a friendly and welcoming environment in which people can both present their own research and learn from what others have been working on.

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VB2017 paper: VirusTotal tips, tricks and myths

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 25, 2018

At VB2017 in Madrid, security researcher Randy Abrams presented an overview of the VirusTotal service and then went on to bust several of the persistent myths that surround it. Today we publish both Randy's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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Healthcare CERTs highlight the need for security guidance for specific sectors

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 24, 2018

A new computer emergency response team has been launched in the Netherlands to provide guidance specifically tailored to the healthcare sector. Martijn Grooten welcomes the development.

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VB2018 call for papers now open!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 23, 2018

Have you analysed a new online threat? Do you know a new way to defend against such threats? Are you tasked with securing systems and fending off attacks? The call for papers for VB2018 is now open and we want to hear from you!

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Search blog

New and revised laws

New anti-spam laws prepared and old ones revisited.
New anti-spam laws prepared and old ones revisited. One of the world's top spam-sending hot spots is currently preparing for the launch of its first anti-spam laws. Together with… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/new-and-revised-laws/

August issue of VB published

The August issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The August issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The August 2006 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/august-issue-vb-published/

August

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/

Supply of data to spammers stopped

Database thief charged.
Database thief charged. A US man has been charged with stealing a database of US physicians with the intention of selling it on to spammers. Forty-six-year-old William Bailey, Jr… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/08/supply-data-spammers-stopped/

m00p group members arrested

Three members of virus-writing gang held.
Three members of virus-writing gang held. Three members of a malware-writing group were arrested last month following investigations in Finland and the UK. The three men - a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/m00p-group-members-arrested/

Big bucks

AV software revenues increase.
AV software revenues increase. Anti-virus software revenues reached $4 billion worldwide last year - an increase of 13.6% on the previous year - according to industry analyst… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/big-bucks/

Phone phishes

Watch out for fake SMS messages.
Watch out for fake SMS messages. A sneaky new phishing technique emerged last month, in which initial contact is made with victims via SMS text message. In the attack, an SMS… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/phone-phishes/

False positive reduction

Amendment to VB's June Windows XP comparative review.
Amendment to VB's June Windows XP comparative review. In Virus Bulletin's June 2006 Windows XP comparative review (see VB, June 2006, p.11), VB reported that Alwil's product… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/false-positive-reduction/

July issue of VB published

The July issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The July issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The July 2006 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/july-issue-vb-published/

New faces

VB welcomes new Technical Consultant.
VB welcomes new Technical Consultant. VB is pleased to announce the arrival of a new team member. Following the departure of Matt Ham last month, John Hawes is joining us to take… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/new-faces/

July

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/07/

Bank takes steps to increase customer security

Bank signs deal with AV vendor in an attempt to stop phishers in their tracks.
Bank signs deal with AV vendor in an attempt to stop phishers in their tracks. In an attempt to prevent online banking fraud, a British bank has signed a deal with Finnish… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/bank-takes-steps-increase-customer-security/

Gone phishing in Japan

Japan's first crackdown on organized phishing.
Japan's first crackdown on organized phishing. Police in Kyoto have arrested eight men in Japan's first crackdown on organized phishing. The men are suspected of belonging to a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/gone-phishing-japan/

Symantec vulnerability discovered - and fixed

Buffer overflow vulnerability found in corporate AV software.
Buffer overflow vulnerability found in corporate AV software.Symantec was quick to respond late last month to the discovery of a potentially critical vulnerability in the latest… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/symantec-vulnerability-discovered-and-fixed/

Blue Frog croaks but may rise again

Open source project to create anti-spam opt-out tool based on the defunct Blue Frog service.
Open source project to create anti-spam opt-out tool based on the defunct Blue Frog service. Last month, Blue Frog, the anti-spam service offered by Blue Security, was forced to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/blue-frog-croaks-may-rise-again/

June issue of VB published

The June issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The June issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The June 2006 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/june-issue-vb-published/

June

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/

OneCare goes live

Microsoft anti-virus goes on general release.
Microsoft anti-virus goes on general release.Microsoft's anti-virus software Windows Live OneCare is due to go on general release this month. OneCare, which has been available… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/06/onecare-goes-live/

May issue of VB published

The May issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The May issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The May 2006 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/05/may-issue-vb-published/

May

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2006/05/

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