VB Blog

VB2014 paper: DMARC - how to use it to improve your email reputation

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 6, 2014

Terry Zink presents case study in which he describes setting a DMARC policy for Microsoft.

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VB2014 Paper: Well, that escalated quickly. From penny-stealing malware to multi-million-dollar heists, a quick overview of the Bitcoin bonanza in the digital era

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Nov 4, 2014

Santiago Pontiroli takes us on a rollercoaster ride through cryptocurrency land.

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The VB2014 presentation you never saw. Early launch Android malware: your phone is 0wned

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 31, 2014

Malicious apps may have more privileges than security software.

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CVE-2012-0158 continues to be used in targeted attacks

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 31, 2014

30-month old vulnerability still a popular way to infect systems.

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Paper: Invading the core: iWorm's infection vector and persistence mechanism

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 30, 2014

Malware spreads through infected torrent, then maintains persistence on the system.

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New IcoScript variant uses Gmail drafts for C&C communication

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 29, 2014

Switch likely to make modular malware even stealthier.

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VB2014 paper: Hiding the network behind the network. Botnet proxy business model

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 28, 2014

Cristina Vatamanu and her colleagues describe how botherders keep their C&C servers hidden.

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VB2014 paper: Methods of malware persistence on Mac OS X

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 27, 2014

'KnockKnock' tool made available to the public.

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Tor exit node found to turn downloaded binaries into malware

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 24, 2014

Tor provides anonymity, not security, hence using HTTPS is essential.

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VB2014 paper: Exposing Android white collar criminals

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Oct 22, 2014

Luis Corrons dives into the world of shady Android apps.

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VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Jarno Niemela about APTs and about what he aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Jarno Niemela about APTs and about what he aims to bring to VB2013. The VB2013 conference takes place next week (2-4 October) in Berlin, with an… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-niemela/

Tens of thousands of fake Twitter accounts passed off and sold as 'followers'

After initial takedown, more efforts put into making new fake accounts look genuine.
After initial takedown, more efforts put into making new fake accounts look genuine.Virus Bulletin's research into a scam selling fake Twitter accounts being passed off as… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/tens-thousands-fake-twitter-accounts-passed-and-sold-followers/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Rowland Yu about Android malware, his research interests, and what he aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Rowland Yu about Android malware, his research interests, and what he aims to bring to VB2013. The VB2013 conference takes place next month (2-4… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-yu/

'Mobile Thursday' at the VB conference

Record number of presentations dedicated to threats affecting smartphones.
Record number of presentations dedicated to threats affecting smartphones. The significant increase in mobile threats is reflected in the VB2013 programme, which includes seven… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/mobile-thursday-vb-conference/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Sergey Golovanov about business-to-government malware.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Sergey Golovanov about business-to-government malware. The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn (2-4 October) in Berlin, with an exciting… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-golovanov/

VB2013 last-minute papers and keynote announced

Hot topics to be covered at VB conference in Berlin.
Hot topics to be covered at VB conference in Berlin. We thought that the 45 previously announced VB2013 papers, together with the panel discussion, already made for a really… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/last-minute-papers-and-keynote-announced/

Backdoored standards show we desperately need more cryptographers

Too few currently possess the skills to verify standards.
Too few currently possess the skills to verify standards. Recent revelations of the NSA's crypto-breaking capabilities have led to calls for better cryptography. But we need more… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/backdoored-standards-show-we-desperately-need-more-cryptographers/

Syrian conflict used in pump-and-dump spam

Short campaign could have had desired effect.
Short campaign could have had desired effect.Pump-and-dump spam is almost as old as spam itself: emails are sent out promoting worthless 'penny stocks', which have been purchased… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/syrian-conflict-used-pump-and-dump-spam/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to VB2013 presenter Andrei Serbanoiu about Facebook ad spam and scams, and what he aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to VB2013 presenter Andrei Serbanoiu about Facebook ad spam and scams, and what he aims to bring to VB2013.The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn (2-4 October) in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/speaker-spotlight-serbanoiu/

Box-ticking mentality leads to insecurity

Credit card company fails to understand how authentication works.
Credit card company fails to understand how authentication works. Security experts often bemoan a 'box-ticking' mentality and argue that in many cases ticking boxes doesn't address… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/box-ticking-mentality-leads-insecurity/

Updated botnet likely cause of surge in Tor traffic

New Tor version should help the network deal with increased traffic.
New Tor version should help the network deal with increased traffic. Sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words: The graph shows the daily number of users of the Tor… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/updated-botnet-likely-cause-surge-tor-traffic/

Malware spoofing HTTP Host header to hide C&C communication

Traffic appears as requests to Google or Yandex.
Traffic appears as requests to Google or Yandex. There have been several recent examples of malware using a spoofed HTTP Host header to hide communucation with its control servers.… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/malware-spoofing-http-host-header-hide-c-amp-c-communication/

Phone support scams: an old scam with some new tricks

Files in Prefetch directory supposedly show malware infections.
Files in Prefetch directory supposedly show malware infections. Telephone support scams have been going on for quite a long time, and have received a fair amount of publicity,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/phone-support-scams-old-scam-some-new-tricks/

September

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/

September issue of VB published

The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The September issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The September 2013 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/09/september-issue-vb-published/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to Joe Blackbird and Bill Pfeifer about how anti-malware protection states affect infection rates.
We speak to Joe Blackbird and Bill Pfeifer about how anti-malware protection states affect infection rates. The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn (2-4 October) in Berlin,… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/08/speaker-spotlight-blackbirdpfeifer/

Kelihos checks machines' IP addresses against DNS blacklists

Role of node in a botnet dependent on whether the IP address is blacklisted.
Role of node in a botnet dependent on whether the IP address is blacklisted. Whenever I look at the results of the VBSpam tests, it always amazes me how large a percentage of spam… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/08/kelihos-checks-machines-ip-addresses-against-dns-blacklists/

New email header attempts to prevent damage of reissued email addresses

Transactional emails not delivered if the account's owner has changed in the meantime.
Transactional emails not delivered if the account's owner has changed in the meantime. When in June, Yahoo announced it would free up inactive user IDs, it received fierce… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/08/new-email-header-attempts-prevent-damage-reissued-email-addresses/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to Gunter Ollmann about the growing need to assess corporate security defences from a hacker's perspective.
We speak to Gunter Ollmann about the growing need to assess corporate security defences from a hacker's perspective. The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn (2-4 October) in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/08/speaker-spotlight-ollmann/

VB2013 speaker spotlight

We speak to Roman Unuchek about malicious redirection of mobile users, his research interests, and what he aims to bring to VB2013.
We speak to Roman Unuchek about malicious redirection of mobile users, his research interests, and what he aims to bring to VB2013. The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2013/08/speaker-spotlight-unuchek/

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