March issue of VB published

Posted by   Virus Bulletin on   Mar 1, 2014

The March issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to download.

The March 2014 issue of Virus Bulletin is now available for subscribers to browse online or download in PDF or PRC (Kindle) format.

Some of the things this month's issue has in store are:

• Making the case for incident response: 'There is a shift occurring in the security space around incident response. It's becoming clear that no organization is completely safe.' Tim Armstrong

• A short visit with a virus: Last month, Peter Ferrie described a Windows virus that turns Java class files into droppers for the virus, and concluded that it would be a simple matter to reverse that: for a virus writer to create a Java class file that turns Windows files into droppers for the virus. This is exactly what {W32/Java}/Tarry does.

• ProxyCB, a spam proxy under the radar: ProxyCB is a trojan that acts as a proxy server to send spam via the HTTP, HTTPS or SMTP protocol. Wei Wang and Kyle Yang take a detailed look at its installation process, how it bypasses UAC, and the final payload loading process, before dissecting its communication protocol and commands.

• Solarbot botnet: Solarbot, a.k.a. Dapato or Napolar, is a traditional botnet that has been around for a while. It is used for spreading other malware and often comes with built-in DDoS and proxy modules. He Xu takes a closer look.

• Not Expir-ed yet: Expiro is a file infector that resurfaces from time to time, demonstrating more skills on each new appearance - infecting a service that gives a unique vantage point on traditional malicious activities; running the malware at computer restart without creating a start-up registry; using different mutexes for different types of infected process; escalating privileges; and executing infected files without calling the CreateProcess or WinExec APIs. Raul Alvarez takes a closer look.

• BYOT: Bring Your Own Target: The author of Simbot doesn't take anything for granted: all the necessary components for the malware's execution are bundled and dropped onto the system, including the relevant vulnerable application for exploitation and regular Windows system binaries.

• Greetz from academe: Censored: John Aycock highlights an ACSAC paper that looks at the issue of detecting web content modifications.

Note: The March 2014 VBSpam comparative review will be published at a later date. As with all new VB100 and VBSpam reviews, the report will be available for non-subscribers to purchase as a standalone item (Virus Bulletin subscribers will be notified by email when the comparative is available to download). Non-subscribers can purchase VB100 reports here and VBSpam reports here.

Subscribers click here to access the issue.

If you are not already a subscriber why not take the chance to subscribe now.

Posted on 04 March 2014 by Virus Bulletin

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