VB Blog

VB2018 paper: Anatomy of an attack: detecting and defeating CRASHOVERRIDE

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Mar 5, 2019

In December 2016, the CRASHOVERRIDE malware framework was used to cause a blackout in Ukraine. At VB2018 in Montreal, Dragos researcher Joe Slowik presented a detailed paper on the framework, explaining how the malware works and how it targets various protocols used to operate the electric grid. Today we publish both Joe's paper and the recording of his presentation.

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VB2018 presentation: Levelling up: why sharing threat intelligence makes you more competitive

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Mar 1, 2019

In a presentation at VB2018, Michael Daniel, President and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance, outlined exactly how threat sharing strengthens a company's competitive advantage. Today we release the recording of his presentation.

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The malspam security products miss: Emotet, Ursnif, and a spammer's blunder

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 25, 2019

The set-up of the VBSpam test lab gives us a unique insight into the kinds of emails that are more likely to bypass email filters. This week we look at the malspam that was missed: a very international email with a link serving Emotet, an Italian Ursnif campaign with a password-protected ZIP and an email to which a clumsy spammer had attached a list of email addresses rather than a payload.

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VB2018 paper: The modality of mortality in domain names

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 22, 2019

Domains play a crucial role in most cyber attacks, from the very advanced to the very mundane. Today, we publish a VB2018 paper by Paul Vixie (Farsight Security) who undertook the first systematic study into the lifetimes of newly registered domains.

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VB2018 paper: Analysing compiled binaries using logic

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 20, 2019

Constraint programming is a lesser-known technique that is becoming increasingly popular among malware analysts. In a paper presented at VB2018 Thaís Moreira Hamasaki presented an overview of the technique and explained how it can be applied to the analysis of (potentially) malicious binaries. Today, we publish both Thaís' paper and the video of her presentation.

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Virus Bulletin encourages experienced speakers and newcomers alike to submit proposals for VB2019

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 19, 2019

With a little less than a month before the deadline of the call for papers for VB2019, Virus Bulletin encourages submissions from experienced speakers and newcomers alike.

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VB2018 paper: Internet balkanization: why are we raising borders online?

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 13, 2019

At VB2018 in Montreal, Ixia researcher Stefan Tanase presented a thought-provoking paper on the current state of the Internet and the worrying tendency towards raising borders and restricting the flow of information. Today we publish both his paper and the recording of his presentation.

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The malspam security products miss: banking and email phishing, Emotet and Bushaloader

Posted by   Martijn Grooten on   Feb 11, 2019

The set-up of the VBSpam test lab gives us a unique insight into the kinds of emails that are more likely to bypass email filters. This week we look at the malspam that was missed: banking and email phishing, Emotet and Bushaloader.

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VB2018 paper: Where have all the good hires gone?

Posted by   Helen Martin on   Feb 8, 2019

The cybersecurity skills gap has been described as one of the biggest challenges facing IT leaders today. At VB2018 in Montreal, ESET's Lysa Myers outlined some of the things the industry can do to help address the problem. Today we publish Lysa's paper and the recording of her presentation.

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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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Search blog

Tsunami response quick among cybercriminals

Miscreants releasing scams, phishing, scareware... within a matter of hours.
Miscreants releasing scams, phishing, scareware... within a matter of hours. As most of the world reels in shock at the devastation caused by this morning's massive earthquake in… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/tsunami-response-quick-among-cybercriminals/

Cybercriminals frustrated with botnet trackers

Drastic measures discussed by users of online forum.
Drastic measures discussed by users of online forum. Russian cybercriminals are willing to go to great lengths to frustrate services that hinder botnets created with the ZeuS and… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/cybercriminals-frustrated-botnet-trackers/

ENISA calls for revised botnet measurements

EU agency says current measures of botnet threat are misleading.
EU agency says current measures of botnet threat are misleading. European cyber security agency, ENISA (the European Network and Information Security Agency) has called for a… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/enisa-calls-revised-botnet-measurements/

Spammers exploit internationalized domain names

Non-Latin characters in URLs used to trick filters.
Non-Latin characters in URLs used to trick filters. By using internationalized domain names (IDN), spammers manage to avoid detection of URLs in their messages. IDNs were… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/spammers-exploit-internationalized-domain-names/

Google acquires Zynamics

Internet giant buys into security.
Internet giant buys into security. Internet giant Google has acquired software analytics firm Zynamics, it was announced yesterday. The German company, which was founded in 2004… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/google-acquires-zynamics/

March

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/

March issue of VB published

The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The March 2011 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/03/march-issue-vb-published/

Welsh 419 scam

Email from Welsh-speaking Kuwaiti widow indicative of more targeted spam.
Email from Welsh-speaking Kuwaiti widow indicative of more targeted spam. Email users in Wales who received a recent 419 scam will have been surprised to find the message -… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/02/welsh-419-scam/

Dutch most protected Europeans online

Bulgarians most likely to have become infected; financial losses most prevalent among Latvians.
Bulgarians most likely to have become infected; financial losses most prevalent among Latvians. For the occasion of Safer Internet Day on 8 February, Eurostat, the EU's statistical… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/02/dutch-most-protected-europeans-online/

February

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/02/

Mrs Mubarak's IP addresses used by spammers

Spammers finding new ways to obtain non-blacklisted addresses.
Spammers finding new ways to obtain non-blacklisted addresses. While not necessarily related to the current unrest in Egypt - which, among other things, led to the cutting off of… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/02/mrs-mubarak-s-ip-addresses-used-spammers/

February issue of VB published

The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The February issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The February 2011 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/02/february-issue-vb-published/

UK government sites warned to brace against attack

GovCertUK issues warning in aftermath of arrests of Anonymous gang members.
GovCertUK issues warning in aftermath of arrests of Anonymous gang members. UK government websites have been warned that they may find themselves subject to attack following the… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/uk-government-sites-warned-brace-against-attack/

Phishing for different markets

Scam emails trying to steal CO2 emission credits and World-of-Warcraft accounts.
Scam emails trying to steal CO2 emission credits and World-of-Warcraft accounts. Two unrelated phishing campaigns seen doing the rounds recently show that it's not just real money… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/phishing-different-markets/

'Job application' contains malicious attachment

$150,000 lost via banking trojan.
$150,000 lost via banking trojan. An unidentified US company has learned the hard way that email attachments - even to those that appear to be solicited - may contain malware. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/job-application-contains-malicious-attachment/

All change at the top for ESET

VB regulars Richard Marko and Andrew Lee appointed to top management roles.
VB regulars Richard Marko and Andrew Lee appointed to top management roles. Congratulations are due to Richard Marko and Andrew Lee as they take up new positions within ESET. The… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/all-change-top-eset/

New peer-to-peer botnet discovered

New botnet shares fast flux DNS and other similarities with Storm and Waledac.
New botnet shares fast flux DNS and other similarities with Storm and Waledac. In the last few days of 2010, security researchers discovered a new botnet that shares many… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/new-peer-peer-botnet-discovered/

January

Anti-virus and security related news provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/

January issue of VB published

The January issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.
The January issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download. The January 2011 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/01/january-issue-vb-published/

2011

Latest news from the anti-virus industry provided by independent anti-virus advisors, Virus Bulletin
NewsSpammers using Google open redirectVulnerability 'not worthy of bug bounty program'. 15 December 2011Compromised websites used to mine bitcoinsIn-the-browser botnet turns… https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2011/

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