Category: blog
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VB2018 preview: commercial spyware and its use by governments
Yesterday, a new report by Citizen Lab looked at NSO Group ‘s Pegasus spyware and its global use. The report is worth a read, for the political implications of the findings, for the interesting methodology used, as well as for the section on the ethics of DNS cache probing. I have long been a fan…
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VB2018 preview: Wipers in the wild
Some of the earliest computer viruses deleted data and sometimes even rendered computers unusable. But as malware increasingly became a tool used for criminal or (geo)political purposes, its focus shifted to stealing data and using the resources of the compromised machines. However, there has recently been a trend of APT campaigns including a ‘wiper’ functionality…
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VB2018 preview: Wipers in the wild
Some of the earliest computer viruses deleted data and sometimes even rendered computers unusable. But as malware increasingly became a tool used for criminal or (geo)political purposes, its focus shifted to stealing data and using the resources of the compromised machines. However, there has recently been a trend of APT campaigns including a ‘wiper’ functionality…
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VB2018 preview: IoT botnets
For a long time IoT-botnets were just one of those things security professionals warned about. Then, with the appearance of Mirai in 2016, they became a reality. Mirai’s success in performing DDoS attacks, combined with the leak of the botnet’s source code, has led to a great many descendants, some of which stay closer to…
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VB2018 preview: IoT botnets
For a long time IoT-botnets were just one of those things security professionals warned about. Then, with the appearance of Mirai in 2016, they became a reality. Mirai’s success in performing DDoS attacks, combined with the leak of the botnet’s source code, has led to a great many descendants, some of which stay closer to…
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VB2018: last-minute talks announced
With a little over three weeks to go until the start of VB2018 , 28th Virus Bulletin Conference, we are excited to announce ten last-minute talks that cover hot research. Nation-state & cyber espionage attacks Nation-state attacks and cyber espionage continue to be hot topics in cybersecurity, and this is reflected in several last-minute papers.…
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VB2018: last-minute talks announced
With a little over three weeks to go until the start of VB2018 , 28th Virus Bulletin Conference, we are excited to announce ten last-minute talks that cover hot research. Nation-state & cyber espionage attacks Nation-state attacks and cyber espionage continue to be hot topics in cybersecurity, and this is reflected in several last-minute papers.…
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VB2018 preview: Since the hacking of Sony Pictures
Yesterday, the US Justice Department brought charges against an alleged hacker for the North Korean government. The man, Park Jin Hyok, is accused of being connected with the 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, as well as the 2017 WannaCry worm and various hacks of banks through the SWIFT system. Though charges against individuals linked to…
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VB2018 preview: Since the hacking of Sony Pictures
Yesterday, the US Justice Department brought charges against an alleged hacker for the North Korean government. The man, Park Jin Hyok, is accused of being connected with the 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, as well as the 2017 WannaCry worm and various hacks of banks through the SWIFT system. Though charges against individuals linked to…
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Book review: Click Here to Kill Everybody
Paul Baccas reviews ‘Click here to Kill Everybody’ by Bruce Schneier Title: Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World Author: Bruce Schneier Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company ISBN: 978-0393608885 The great and memorable title of Bruce Schneier’s latest book, ‘Click Here to Kill Everybody’, certainly caught the eye of…