VB Blog

Preview: Nullcon 2019

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 5, 2019

We look forward the Nullcon 2019 conference in Goa, India, at which VB Editor Martijn Grooten will give a talk on the state of malware.

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From Amazon to Emotet: a look at those phishing and malware emails that bypassed email security products

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 3, 2019

We see a lot of spam in the VBSpam test lab, and we also see how well such emails are being blocked by email security products. Recently some of the emails that bypassed security products included a broken Amazon phishing campaign, a large fake UPS campaign and malicious emails carrying Emotet and Lokibot.

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VB2018 paper: Little Brother is watching – we know all your secrets!

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 1, 2019

At VB2018 in Montreal, researchers from Fraunhofer SIT looked at privacy vulnerabilities in legitimate Android family-tracking apps that leaked location data. Today, we publish both their paper and the video of their presentation.

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Threat intelligence teams should consider recruiting journalists

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 29, 2019

Threat intelligence teams would do well to recruit journalists, whose experience is crucial in today's threat landscape.

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From HSBC to product descriptions: the malicious emails bypassing your filters

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 28, 2019

Using data from our VBSpam lab, we looked at the malicious emails that have been missed recently by a large number of email security products.

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VB2018 paper: Inside Formbook infostealer

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 25, 2019

The Formbook information-stealing trojan may not be APT-grade malware, but its continuing spread means it can still be effective. At VB2018 in Montreal, Gabriela Nicolao, a researcher from Deloitte in Argentina, presented a short paper in which she looked at Formbook's background and history and analysed a sample of the malware. Today, we publish Gabriela's paper.

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The VB2019 CFP - how the selection procedure works

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 24, 2019

With the VB2019 Call for Papers having opened last week, we explain how the selection procedure works, which may help you during your abstract submission.

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VB2018 paper: From Hacking Team to hacked team to…?

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 18, 2019

Today we publish the VB2018 paper and video by ESET researcher Filip Kafka, who looked at the new malware by Hacking Team, after the company had recovered from the 2015 breach.

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The spam that is hardest to block is often the most damaging

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Jan 17, 2019

We see a lot of spam in the VBSpam test lab, and we also see how well such emails are being blocked by email security products. Worryingly, it is often the emails with a malicious attachment or a phishing link that are most likely to be missed.

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Throwback Thursday: We're all doomed

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Jan 17, 2019

Mydoom turns 15 this month, and is still being seen in email attachments. This Throwback Thursday we look back to March 2004, when Gabor Szappanos tracked the rise of W32/Mydoom.

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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/

Cybersecurity Assessment Tool launched by Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation has launched a tool designed to help nonprofit organizations assess their own cybersecurity efforts.
The Ford Foundation has launched a tool designed to help nonprofit organizations assess their own cybersecurity efforts. The Cybersecurity Assessment Tool is specifically aimed… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/11/cybersecurity-assessment-tool-launched-ford-foundation/

VB2020 presentation: Another threat actor day…

At VB2020 localhost Paul Jung, of Excellium Services, detailed an incident response that he and his team faced when, in December 2019, a Belgian hospital required their help to manage a breach of their informations system.
Hospitals can be attractive places for hackers. With access to critical medical records and personally identifiable information, there is great opportunity to exploit patients.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/11/vb2020-presentation-another-threat-actor-day/

VB2020 presentation: Ramsay: a cyber-espionage toolkit tailored for air-gapped networks

At VB2020 localhost, ESET researcher Ignacio Sanmillan spoke about Ramsay, a toolkit specifically designed to steal documents and operate within air-gapped networks.
Air gapping is a network security measure commonly used in military/governmental, financial and industrial control systems networks that is applied to one or more computers in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/11/vb2020-presentation-ramsay-cyber-espionage-toolkit-tailored-air-gapped-networks/

VB2020 TIPS presentation: Business Email Compromise – Scalable Attribution Powering Industry and Law Enforcement Collaboration

As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summmit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we highlight some of the talks presented in the Summit and the important contr…
As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/11/vb2020-tips-presentation-business-email-compromise-scalable-attribution-powering-industry-and-law-enforcement-collaboration/

VB2020 TIPS presentation: Collaborating with Competitors: A Better Strategy to Beat Adversaries

As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summmit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we highlight some of the talks presented in the Summit and the important contr…
As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/11/vb2020-tips-presentation-collaborating-competitors-better-strategy-beat-adversaries/

VB2020 TIPS presentations: cybercrime in the DACH region and ransomware in LATAM

As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summmit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we highlight some of the talks presented in the Summit and the important contr…
As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/10/vb2020-tips-presentations-cybercrime-dach-region-and-ransomware-latam/

VB2020 TIPS presentation: Intelligence Sharing for Supply Chain Security

As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summmit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of blog posts we highlight some of the talks presented in the Summit and the important contr…
    As part of VB2020 localhost we were proud to co-host the Threat Intelligence Practitioners' Summit (TIPS), put together by the Cyber Threat Alliance. In a series of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/10/vb2020-tips-presentation-intelligence-sharing-supply-chain-security/

VB2020 localhost is over, but the content is still available to view!

VB2020 localhost - VB's first foray into the world of virtual conferences - took place last week, but you can still watch all the presentations.
VB2020 localhost - VB's first virtual, and entirely free to attend VB conference - took place last week and was a great success, with over 2,700 registered delegates from 84… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/10/vb2020-localhost-over-theres-still-time-view-content/

New additions complete the VB2020 localhost programme

The programme for VB2020 localhost - the first virtual, and entirely free to attend VB conference - is now complete, with new additions to both the live programme and the on-demand programme.
While many kinds of economic activity have decreased during the pandemic, that is not the case for online threats: they have been as prolific as ever and continue to evolve.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/08/vb2020-localhost-programme-complete/

VB2020 localhost call for last minute papers: a unique opportunity

Why VB2020 localhost presents a unique opportunity for you to share your research with security experts around the globe.
Now in its 30th year, the Virus Bulletin Conference has not only evolved into the annual threat intelligence conference, but also into one of the most international security… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/08/vb2020-localhost-call-last-minute-papers-unique-opportunity/

VB2020 localhost call for last-minute papers now open!

The call for last-minute papers for VB2020 localhost is now open. Submit before 17 August to have your paper considered for one of the nine 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/2020/07/vb2020-localhost-call-last-minute-papers-now-open/

Announcing... VB2020 localhost

Announcing VB2020 localhost: the carbon neutral, budget neutral VB conference!
Over the last few months the VB team has been hard at work preparing for the virtual edition of VB2020 and we can now reveal... VB2020 localhost: the carbon neutral, budget… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/07/announcing-vb2020-localhost/

VB2019 paper: APT cases exploiting vulnerabilities in region-specific software

At VB2019, JPCERT/CC's Shusei Tomonaga and Tomoaki Tani presented a paper on attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in software used only in Japan, using malware that is unique to Japan. Today we publish both their paper and the recording of their presentat…
APT cases exploiting vulnerabilities in region-specific software Read the paper (HTML) Download the paper (PDF)       Software that is endemic to a specific country… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2020/05/vb2019-paper-apt-cases-exploiting-vulnerabilities-region-specific-software/

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