VB Blog

How broken is SHA-1 really?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 15, 2016

SHA-1 collisions may be found in the next few months, but that doesn't mean that fake SHA-1-based certificates will be created in the near future. Nevertheless, it is time for everyone, and those working in security in particular, to move away from outdated hash functions.

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VB2016 Call for Papers - Frequently Asked Questions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 11, 2016

Are you interested in submitting an abstract for VB2016? We've answered some frequently asked questions about the Call for Papers, which closes next week.

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Throwback Thursday: Hash Woes

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 10, 2016

This Throwback Thursday we go back to 2004, when the entire crypto community was abuzz with the news that a group of Chinese researchers had demonstrated flaws in a whole set of hash functions - VB took a closer look to clarify the situation and draw lessons from the incident.

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VB2015 paper: Mobile Banking Fraud via SMS in North America: Who's Doing it and How

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 2, 2016

Though SMS may have been claimed dead many time, it is still very much alive, and quite popular among mobile phishers. At VB2015, Adaptive Mobile researcher Cathal Mc Daid presented a paper various mobile phishing campaigns targeting North American banks.

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Throwback Thursday: Viruses on the Internet

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 25, 2016

This Throwback Thursday VB heads back to 1996 when - long before the days of driveby downloads and exploit kits - VB published a report on the state of viruses on the Internet.

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RSA and BSides San Francisco

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 24, 2016

Next week, Virus Bulletin Editor Martijn Grooten will attend the RSA conference in San Francisco, where he will give a talk entitled "How Broken Is Our Crypto Really?" He will also speak at BSides San Francisco, where he will give a talk entitled "Elliptic Curve Cryptography for Those Who are Afraid of Mathematics".

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Virus Bulletin publishes first web filter test report

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 19, 2016

After a lot of preparation, Virus Bulletin is proud to have published the first "VBWeb" comparative web filter test report, in which products' ability to block web-based malware and drive-by downloads was tested. Fortinet's FortiGuard appliance was the first product to achieve a VBWeb certification.

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VB2015 paper: Will Android Trojans, Worms or Rootkits Survive in SEAndroid and Containerization?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 18, 2016

Sophos researchers Rowland Yu and William Lee look at whether recent security enhancements to Android, such as SEAndroid and containerization, will be enough to defeat future malware threats.

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First six VB2016 sponsors announced

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 17, 2016

Virus Bulletin is excited to announce the first six sponsors for VB2016, the 26th international Virus Bulletin conference, which will take place in Denver, Colorado, USA 5-7 October 2016.

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VB2015 paper: Sizing cybercrime: incidents and accidents, hints and allegations

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 11, 2016

Cybercrime is big. But how big is it really? In a paper presented at VB2015 and together with the presentation video published on our website today, ESET researcher Stephen Cobb looks at previous studies that attempt the size of cybercrime and asks why we need such data and what can be done better.

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January issue released

The Virus Bulletin January 2005 issue is on its way.
The Virus Bulletin January 2005 issue is on its way. It's that time of the month again... If you are a subscriber to Virus Bulletin, you should be receiving your January issue… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/january-issue-released/

Synchronized malware identification for the new year

Causing a stir in the anti-virus community last month was the announcement of a new US-led initiative whose aim is to achieve threat synchronization.
Causing a stir in the anti-virus community last month was the announcement of a new US-led initiative whose aim is to achieve threat synchronization. The US Department of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/synchronized-malware-identification-new-year/

Latest VGrep

The latest version of the virus name lookup tool - VGrep, is now available.
The latest version of the virus name lookup tool - VGrep, is now available. VGrep is a system produced in an attempt to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the naming of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/latest-vgrep/

Test files: Straightening the record

VB sets the record straight regarding the collection of files referenced in Peter Morley's letter 'Generic detection - a specific case' published in last months main magazine.
VB sets the record straight regarding the collection of files referenced in Peter Morley's letter 'Generic detection - a specific case' published in last months main magazine.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/test-files-straightening-record/

No deal for AOL employee

Judge refuses to accept guilty plea.
Judge refuses to accept guilty plea. A federal judge has refused to accept the guilty plea of a former AOL employee charged with selling the company's customer email list to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/no-deal-aol-employee/

Teen brought to book for Randex

British teenager sentenced.
British teenager sentenced. A 16-year-old British teenager has been given a six-month suspended sentence for his part in distributing the Randex worm. A total of four suspects… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/teen-brought-book-randex/

Deal for AOL employee

AOL worker accused of selling customer email lists offered deal.
AOL worker accused of selling customer email lists offered deal. A former AOL employee charged with selling the company's customer email list to spammers has been offered a plea… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/deal-aol-employee/

Trend ousts McAfee on Hotmail

Trend Micro to take over from McAfee as new provider of virus scanning for MSN.
Trend Micro to take over from McAfee as new provider of virus scanning for MSN. Trend Micro has announced that it is to be the new provider of virus scanning for Microsoft's MSN… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/trend-ousts-mcafee-hotmail/

ISP wins $1 billion against spammers

Largest judgement against spammers to date.
Largest judgement against spammers to date. A company in Iowa has been awarded a total of more than $1 billion in what is believed to be the largest judgement to date against… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/isp-wins-1-billion-against-spammers/

Virus Bulletin RSS feeds now support Live Bookmarks

Virus Bulletin RSS feeds now support 'Live bookmarks' allowing you to browse our latest headlines directly from your browsers bookmarks menu.
Virus Bulletin RSS feeds now support 'Live bookmarks' allowing you to browse our latest headlines directly from your browsers bookmarks menu. The Virus Bulletin RSS feeds now… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/rss-feeds-now-support-live-bookmarks/

GIANT purchase for Microsoft

Microsoft buys anti-spyware provider.
Microsoft buys anti-spyware provider. Microsoft announced yesterday that it has acquired anti-spyware firm GIANT Company Software Inc. Microsoft says it plans to use… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/giant-purchase-microsoft/

Symantec to acquire Veritas?

Just in time for Christmas?
Just in time for Christmas? Symantec may be close to acquiring data storage firm Veritas, according to reports circulating on the Internet. AV firm Symantec, which has something… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/symantec-acquire-veritas/

Anti-spam law 'unconstitutional'

Judge says Maryland anti-spam law is flawed.
Judge says Maryland anti-spam law is flawed. A judge has ruled that Maryland's anti-spam law is flawed because it violates the commerce clause of the US Constitution. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/anti-spam-law-unconstitutional/

Spyware-led investigations

Australian police given power to use spyware.
Australian police given power to use spyware. Police in Australia have been awarded the right to use spyware for evidence-gathering, thanks to a new law passed last week. Under… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/spyware-led-investigations/

DDoS stunt over

Lycos ends its 'make love not spam' campaign - but not before the file had been trojanised...
Lycos ends its 'make love not spam' campaign - but not before the file had been trojanised... Lycos has announced that it has ended its controversial 'Make Love not Spam'… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/ddos-stunt-over/

More spammers for the slammer?

Microsoft continues to make good use of its legal resources.
Microsoft continues to make good use of its legal resources. Microsoft has filed seven new lawsuits against spammers. The company is suing the individuals (who currently remain… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/more-spammers-slammer/

Errata - Windows Server 2003 comparative review

VB regrets that three mistakes crept into the Comparative review published in the November issue.
VB regrets that three mistakes crept into the Comparative review published in the November issue. The mistakes were as follows: The version number for Sophos Anti Virus should… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/errata-windows-server-2003-comparative-review/

Academic research journal

Announcement and first call for papers of the European Research Journal in Computer Virology
Announcement and first call for papers of the European Research Journal in Computer Virology October saw the announcement and first call for papers of the European Research… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/academic-research-journal/

Most-spammed sees end in sight

Bill Gates says he hopes to have the spam problem under control within two years - again.
Bill Gates says he hopes to have the spam problem under control within two years - again. The world's most spammed email recipient, Bill Gates, said last month that he hopes to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/most-spammed-sees-end-sight/

News by email

New twice-monthly email newsletter dedicated to news and technical information about the spam and anti-spam arena launched.
New twice-monthly email newsletter dedicated to news and technical information about the spam and anti-spam arena launched. Last month saw the inaugural issue of a twice-monthly… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/12/news-email/

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