VB Blog

Consumer spyware: a serious threat with a different threat model

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 25, 2017

Consumer spyware is a growing issue and one that can have serious consequences: its use is increasingly common in domestic violence. But do our threat models consider the attacker with physical access to, and inside knowledge of the victim?

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VB2016 paper: Debugging and monitoring malware network activities with Haka

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 24, 2017

In their VB2016 paper, Stormshield researchers Benoît Ancel and Mehdi Talbi introduced Haka, an open-source language to monitor, debug and control malicious network traffic. Both their paper and the video recording of their presentation are now available to read/view on www.virusbulletin.com.

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VB2017: a wide ranging and international conference programme

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 13, 2017

We are proud to announce a very broad and very international programme for VB2017, which will take place in Madrid, 4-6 October 2017.

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John Graham-Cumming and Brian Honan to deliver keynote addresses at VB2017

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Apr 10, 2017

Virus Bulletin is excited to announce John-Graham Cumming and Brian Honan as the two keynote speakers for VB2017 in Madrid.

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Virus Bulletin says a fond farewell to John Hawes

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 31, 2017

As VB's COO John Hawes moves on to new challenges, the team wish him a fond farewell and good luck in his future endeavours.

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VB2016 paper: One-Click Fileless Infection

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 28, 2017

Symantec researchers Himanshu Anand and Chastine Menrige explain how a single click can lead to a compromised machine, without malware ever being stored on disk.

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Mostly blocked, but still good enough: Necurs sending pump-and-dump spam

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 22, 2017

The Necurs botnet has started sending pump-and-dump spam. Almost all of these emails are blocked by spam filters, yet the stock price still increased.

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Why the SHA-1 collision means you should stop using the algorithm

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 10, 2017

Realistically speaking, if your software or system uses the SHA-1 hashing algorithm, it is unlikely that it will be exploited in the foreseeable future. But it is also extremely difficult to be certain that your system won't be the exception.

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VB2017 Call for Papers: frequently asked questions

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 10, 2017

The call for papers for VB2017, which takes place 4 to 6 October in Madrid, Spain, is currently open. We're always on the look out for new speakers and new content, so to help anyone who's unfamiliar with the VB conference, we've prepared a list of answers to some frequently asked questions about the event, and about how to submit a paper.

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Throwback Thursday: Michelangelo - Graffiti Not Art

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 9, 2017

This week marked the 25th anniversary of the trigger date of the infamous Michelangelo virus. In January 1992, VB published an analysis of the boot sector virus that captured the imagination of the press and kicked up a media storm.

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Search blog

Microsoft AV still on track

Not forgotten...
Not forgotten... Microsoft is still on track to offer its own anti-virus product, according to the chief of its security business unit. It has been a year since Microsoft… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/microsoft-av-still-track/

FTC says no to 'Do Not Spam'

A 'Do Not Spam' list could actually increase spam levels, says FTC.
A 'Do Not Spam' list could actually increase spam levels, says FTC. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has told Congress that a national 'Do Not Spam' registry is not appropriate… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/ftc-says-no-do-not-spam/

Virus calling

First mobile phone worm discovered.
First mobile phone worm discovered. The first worm to be capable of spreading via mobile phones has been discovered. The initial announcement of the proof-of-concept worm was… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/virus-calling/

More spammers sued

Microsoft throws its weight around against spammers
Microsoft throws its weight around against spammers Microsoft has filed eight new lawsuits against spammers. All of the suits allege spoofing and falsifying of domain names.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/more-spammers-sued/

Virus cost MOD £10 million

Ministry of Defence reveals Lovgate found a weakness in its defences
Ministry of Defence reveals Lovgate found a weakness in its defences According to Computer Weekly the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed that, last year, it spent £10m on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/virus-cost-mod-10-million/

Hormel halts Spam King in his tracks

No 'Spam King' clothing line for Richter.
No 'Spam King' clothing line for Richter. Infamous spammer Scott Richter, aka the 'Spam King', has fallen at the first hurdle in his bid to launch a 'Spam King'-branded clothing… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/hormel-halts-spam-king-his-tracks/

DIY do not spam

Chicago businessman takes matters into his own hands
Chicago businessman takes matters into his own hands Chicago businessman Rocky Mosele has created his own 'do not spam' list. Fed up of the disruptive effect spam was having on… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/diy-do-not-spam/

June

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/06/

Taiwanese Trojan writer arrested

Suspect not a teenager for a change.
Suspect not a teenager for a change. A Taiwanese engineer has been arrested on suspicion of creating a Trojan horse. Earlier this week, 30-year-old Wang Ping-an was apprehended… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/taiwanese-trojan-writer-arrested/

Legislation: NZ makes a move

New Zealand government moves toward anti-spam legislation
New Zealand government moves toward anti-spam legislation The government of New Zealand has signalled its intention to bring in anti-spam legislation. A discussion paper released… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/legislation-nz-makes-move/

German government spammed

Government email systems overwhelmed
Government email systems overwhelmed Barely a month after Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) put forward proposals for tough new sanctions for spammers, the German… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/german-government-spammed/

Cajun spammer tells it like it is

Straight talking spammer
Straight talking spammer A prolific emailer (read spammer) has told the US Senate Commerce Committee that, although the 30 million email messages he sends out each day comply… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/cajun-spammer-tells-it-it/

Spend, spend, spend for Symantec

Anti-spam company to become AV vendor's latest purchase
Anti-spam company to become AV vendor's latest purchase Just days after revealing that its gateway anti-virus product will stop sending automatic virus notification 'spam' - a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/spend-spend-spend-symantec/

No rest for German police

Arrest of suspected Sasser author, arrest of suspected Phatbot author and questioning of five more suspects - all within the space of 7 days.
Arrest of suspected Sasser author, arrest of suspected Phatbot author and questioning of five more suspects - all within the space of 7 days. The German authorities have been busy… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/no-rest-german-police/

Buying and selling

Trend buys back shares, Sybari prepares to sell
Trend buys back shares, Sybari prepares to sell Trend Micro's board of directors has announced plans to repurchase some of the company's shares from the market. The company will… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/buying-and-selling/

SpamCop at receiving end of a restraining order

Venerable spam reporting outfit SpamCop has had a restraining order granted against it on behalf of alleged spammer OptInRealBig.com.
Venerable spam reporting outfit SpamCop has had a restraining order granted against it on behalf of alleged spammer OptInRealBig.com. Venerable spam reporting outfit SpamCop has… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/spamcop-receiving-end-restraining-order/

Figures and fluctuations

Dips, increases and the cost of dealing with spam
Dips, increases and the cost of dealing with spam While the term 'spam' celebrated its tenth birthday last month, MessageLabs reported a decline in the volume of spam seen in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/figures-and-fluctuations/

Spam on the catwalk

Spammer extraordinaire launches own clothing line
Spammer extraordinaire launches own clothing line Scott Richter, spammer extraordinaire, is set to launch his own clothing line, according to Newsday . The man who brought to our… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/spam-catwalk/

Law and order

Spamming set to become illegal in the Netherlands and other legislative news...
Spamming set to become illegal in the Netherlands and other legislative news... Spamming is about to become illegal in The Netherlands, after the upper house of the Dutch… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/law-and-order/

NAI reverts to McAfee

Network Associates Inc. (NAI) to streamline and adopt (not so) new name.
Network Associates Inc. (NAI) to streamline and adopt (not so) new name. In a bid to reduce costs and increase productivity, Network Associates, Inc. (NAI) has announced plans to… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2004/05/nai-reverts-mcafee/

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