Category Archives: Anti-virus

Phishing Trojan Campaign Picks Up Pace, Morphing at Scale to Defeat Legacy Detection

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Phishing attacks are nothing new, but we are noticing a new trend for polymorphism, both in the wrapping document and in the dropped executable. In samples that are literally minutes old, we see the control server is re-obfuscating and updating the malware faster than anti-virus programs are updating their awareness. The changes made are more […]

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Google releases new email, browser security features to prevent common hacking issues

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Google has rolled out new security features for users of Gmail and Drive, as well as its Chrome web browser. For Gmail and Drive users, Google is offering an opt-in feature called the Advanced Protection Program, aimed at those who are more prone to online threats because of the nature of their work. The company announced the program in a blog post on Tuesday. “We took this unusual step because there is an overlooked minority of our users that are at particularly high risk of targeted online attacks,” the post says. “For example, these might be campaign staffers preparing for an upcoming election, journalists who need to protect the confidentiality of their sources, or people in abusive relationships seeking safety.” That could be seen as a reference to John Podesta, the Hillary Clinton campaign adviser whose who fell for a phishing scam, giving Russian hackers access to his Gmail account […]

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Former U.S. spies say anti-virus software makes for a perfect espionage platform

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Popular anti-virus software companies are a prime target for intelligence agencies because they have direct, continuous access into their clients’ networks and collect large quantities of data about them, former U.S. intelligence officials and cybersecurity experts say. Although the targeting of anti-virus (AV) companies by government-backed hackers only recently became well-known, experts say sophisticated intelligence agencies have long understood the inherent value of infiltrating these firms to gather information and in some cases, spread malware. “As cybersecurity companies centralize information and maintain access to their customers, securing the cloud-based infrastructure of those cyber companies becomes paramount,” said Ben Johnson, a former NSA computer scientist. “These organizations have become prime targets for intelligence agencies, militaries, and sophisticated cyber organizations looking for ways into corporate and government institutions.” Because most anti-virus vendors have designed their products to autonomously search for computer viruses on users’ systems by directly scanning files and then sending that data back […]

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Amid U.S. effort to exclude Kaspersky, Putin backs plan to force out foreign software

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Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his support last Friday for a plan to compel Russian companies to purchase and deploy software that is created only by Russian technology firms rather than foreign competitors. The move comes as the FBI is privately counseling U.S. businesses to uninstall products that are created and sold by Moscow-based cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab due to reported privacy and security concerns. Although Kaspersky’s anti-virus software is not widely used in federal agencies, some companies continue to rely on it for protection against hackers. The FBI has yet to publicly provide evidence to support the accusation that Kaspersky acts as an extension of Russian intelligence services. Putin told Russian news agency Interfax that Russian companies looking to secure government contracts should comply with the regulatory directive — which by nature, appears to reward organizations that invest in domestic alternatives if and when they exist. “In terms of security, there are things that […]

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FBI needs to show its Kaspersky cards or fold

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The FBI, in conjunction with other U.S. intelligence agencies, is making the case that Kaspersky has Russian intelligence ties and its products can’t be trusted.  CyberScoop broke the story that the bureau has been briefing additional intelligence to U.S. companies using Kaspersky products, warning them to stop. To date, the intelligence the FBI is briefing Kaspersky users on has not been made part of the public debate. It needs to be as soon as possible. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is moving to block the use of Kaspersky products in Defense Department networks. She laid out her rationale for this move in the New York Times on Monday.  Shaheen makes the same tired and weak argument that Kaspersky has Russian intelligence ties and that classified assessments would allay any public doubts. The entirety of the public evidence against Kaspersky boils down to the fact that company founder and CEO Eugene […]

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Amid Kaspersky controversy, Russia considers pushing out foreign competitors

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As U.S. lawmakers continue to cast doubt on the independence of Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, the Kremlin is considering plans that would cut off foreign anti-virus vendors from the Russian market.  The newly announced plan, first reported by Russian news outlet Meduza, will be reportedly presented Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the moment, a Russian advisory body for strategic projects is reviewing a draft copy of the bill. If enacted, the proposed law would become effective in mid-2019, according to Meduza. As it’s currently written, it will become mandatory for any computer that is imported or produced within the Eurasian Economic Union to carry anti-virus software that’s made by a country considered to be a “domestic technology company.” The Eurasian Economic Union is comprised by five member states, including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. American cybersecurity firms only hold a small percentage of market share among those countries. The anti-virus […]

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Israeli startup Cybereason gets $100M series D funding

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Cybereason, the next-generation cybersecurity firm founded by veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces cyberwar force Unit 8200, has raised $100 million series D money from its partner, customer and existing funder, the Japanese tech-finance giant SoftBank Corp. The new round more than doubles the amount the the company raised in its series A, B and C rounds, which brought in a combined total just under $90 million from funders Lockheed Martin, SoftBank Corp., and venture capital outfits CRV and Spark Capital. Last year it moved its global headquarters to Boston from Tel Aviv, though it still has a base in the Israeli city. It also has a presence in London and a joint venture with SoftBank in Tokyo. “This new funding allows us to increase our growth through new distribution channels and to develop new technologies,” said Lior Div, Cybereason co-founder and CEO in a statement. A company executive enlarged on that, […]

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Blackberry Eyes Up Car Anti-Virus Market

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[Reuters] reports that BlackBerry is working with at least two car manufacturers to develop a remote malware scanner for vehicles, On finding something wrong the program would then tell drivers to pull over if they were in critical danger.

The service would be able to install over-the-air patches to idle cars and is in testing phase by Aston Martin and Range Rover. The service could be active as early as next year, making BlackBerry around $10 a month per vehicle.

Since the demise of BlackBerry in the mobile phone sector, they’ve been hard at work refocusing their attention on new …read more

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DoubleAgent attack uses built-in Windows tool to hijack applications

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Security researchers from computer and network security outfit Cybellum have revealed a new zero-day code injection and persistence technique that can be used by attackers to take over applications and entire Windows machines. They demonstrated the attack on antivirus solutions, and ultimately dubbed it DoubleAgent, as it turns the antivirus security agent into a malicious agent. The DoubleAgent attack “DoubleAgent exploits a legitimate tool of Windows called ‘Microsoft Application Verifier’ which is a tool included … More → Continue reading DoubleAgent attack uses built-in Windows tool to hijack applications→