Mumblehard Finally Taken Down, Sending No More Spam

ESET, in collaboration with CyS-CERT and other partners, has taken down Mumblehard, the infamous Linux server botnet.

A year ago, ESET analyzed the Mumblehard botnet which was comprised of thousands of infected Linux systems located all around the world. Today, ESET announces that in cooperation with CyS-CERT and the Cyber Police of Ukraine, Mumblehard has been successfully taken down.

When publishing the discovery, ESET researchers also registered a domain acting as a C&C server for the backdoor component in order to estimate the botnet size and distribution. This caused the authors of the malware to reduce the number of C&C servers to one – in Ukraine, under the direct control of the attacker.

“The forensics analysis revealed that at the moment of takedown, there were nearly 4000 systems from 63 different countries in the botnet. The researchers also discovered additional details about the operation,” says Marc-Etienne Léveillé, Malware Researcher at ESET.

Among other innovations from the botnet’s disclosure in April 2015, the system allowed for automatic delisting from Spamhaus’ Blocking List. If a script automatically monitoring the IP addresses of all the infected machines found one to be blacklisted, it requested that it be delisted.

“These kinds of requests are protected with CAPTCHA to avoid automation, but the botnet operators were using OCR or external services to break the protection,” explains Léveillé.

Based on data collected from ESET’s sinkhole server, it’s now possible to notify the infected servers’ administrators. Germany’s Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT-Bund, stepped in, and has started notifying the infected organizations.

“If you receive a notification that your server is infected, head to our indicators of compromise at the Github repository for more details about how to find and remove Mumblehard on your system,” recommends Léveillé.

The Mumblehard botnet takedown serves as another example of successful cross-border cooperation between experts from security firms and the public sector with law enforcement institutions.

To avoid future infections, ESET security experts advise that web applications hosted on a server – including plugins – are up to date and that administrative accounts have strong two-factor authentication. Additional details about the Mumblehard botnet takedown can be found in an article by Marc-Etienne M. Léveillé on ESET’s official security blog, WeLiveSecurity.com.

For more information, please visit https://www.version-2.com/ or call (852) 2893 8860.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET Warns Facebook Users of Viral Ad Scam

ESET researchers have spotted a scam campaign on Facebook that steals the social network users’ payment card details. Instead of buying luxury sunglasses at a 90% discount, shoppers might end up victims of a payment card fraud.


In several countries, among them Slovakia, Czech Republic, Chile, China, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, Facebook users are facing a wave of spam advertisements that are spread via hacked Facebook accounts which attackers have taken control of using malware and social engineering tactics.

Without the owner’s consent, they post pictures promoting heavily discounted Ray-Ban sunglasses. When trying to buy them at bogus e-shops, the victims face several risks. On top of losing few dollars on counterfeit goods, their payment card details fall into the hands of the crooks behind the campaign – and as their data travels across the internet unencrypted, anyone can intercept it to steal money.

Additional details about the scam, as well as ESET’s recommendations to avoid falling victim to it, can be found in an article on ESET’s official blog, WeLiveSecurity.com. 

For more information, please visit https://www.version-2.com/ or call (852) 2893 8860.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET Receives VB100 Award for ESET Endpoint Antivirus

ESET Endpoint Antivirus recorded strong detection, excellent stability and low resource requirements in the latest Virus Bulletin’s VB100 Comparative Review.

Virus Bulletin, a respected testing authority for security solutions, published its latest ‘VB100 Comparative Review on Windows Server 2008 R2’ report.

ESET submitted the ESET Endpoint Antivirus to the test and once again passed the test with excellent results, receiving its 73rd consecutive VB100 award. In total, ESET has received its 94th VB100 Awards.

“Detection was very strong, with good scores across the board,” say Virus Bulletin’s testing experts as to how ESET Endpoint Antivirus dealt with nearly 900,000 test files. 

“ESET Endpoint Antivirus provides companies with comprehensive endpoint protection based on proven ESET technology. Moreover, with next-generation business solution we are focusing on performance and false positives, and it is always good to see this confirmed by an independent tests such as VB100 Comparative Review,” reminds Michal Jankech, Product Manager for Business products.

Besides detection, the comparative review also focused on product stability and performance. According to the VB100 result, stability of ESET Endpoint Antivirus was impeccable, with no problems, even under the heaviest of stress. Further adding, that “resource use was low and our set of activities ran through in good time. Scanning speeds were good to start off with and much faster in repeat runs, and overheads accessing files were very light”.

Learn more about ESET Endpoint protection solutions and about Virus Bulletin’s VB100 Comparative Review on Windows Server 2008 R2.

For more information, please visit https://www.version-2.com/ or call (852) 2893 8860.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET Among the Most Popular Internet Security Solutions Worldwide: Survey

ESET IT security products are the second most popular worldwide for PCs and mobile devices according to AV-Comparatives’ IT Security Survey 2016.
AV-Comparatives, an independent testing organization, in February 2016 published its fifth annual IT Security Survey focusing on respondents’ attitudes to Internet security. In this survey of mainly IT professionals and enthusiasts, ESET® emerges as the second most popular option in both the desktop Windows and in the mobile device segment. 

“AV-Comparatives’ annual Security Survey shows how essential the question of Internet security has become and how much attention users actually give to protecting themselves when browsing online. We are very pleased to see ESET products being placed so high in the survey,” comments Ignacio Sbampato, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at ESET.  
When it comes to the most important aspects when choosing a security solution, respondents rank ‘Good detection rate of malicious files’ and ‘Low impact on system performance’ highest.

“ESET ranked as one of the most popular security solutions in our Annual Security Survey for the second time. We are happy that our tests correspond with the majority of the responses, moreover when 70% of respondents described themselves as security enthusiasts or professionals,” says Andreas Clementi, CEO at AV-Comparatives.

AV-Comparatives’ Security Survey also reveals that more than 96% of respondents protect their devices with a security solution and that just under two-thirds of those users pay for their solution.

For more information about the AV-Comparatives IT Security Survey 2016, please visit http://www.av-comparatives.org 

For more information about ESET products, please visit www.eset.hk 

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET is Best at Filtering Spam, Test Confirms

ESET Mail Security outperformed all competing products in the latest test of anti-spam solutions by Virus Bulletin, an independent anti-malware testing organization.

Virus Bulletin published its latest VBSpam comparative review, a real-life test of anti-spam solutions. ESET “achieved a final score of 99.995 – once again better than that of any other product. Clearly ESET is deserving of another VBSpam+ award,“ writes Virus Bulletin in its test report.

ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server emerged ahead of the fifteen other products tested, and was awarded a top VBSpam+ award. The ESET product missed only ten spam emails out of more than 200,000 emails, with zero false positives – even for newsletters, which most other products struggled to sort properly. The combination of excellent detection rate and superior false positives, along with the high speed of ESET’s solution, translated into an overall score of 99.995 points, the highest in the test.

In the previous VBSpam test in November 2015, ESET Mail Security also achieved excellent results, scoring 99.99 points with no false positives.

“We are proud that our customers can benefit from our products’ consistently excellent performance,” comments Ján Baláž, Product Manager at ESET.

Learn more about ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server and about Virus Bulletin’s VBSpam review. 

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET Virtualization Security Is Now Available

ESET’s new agentless security solution for VMware vShield environments avoids troublesome AV storms.

ESET®, a global pioneer in IT security for more than two decades, today announces the launch of ESET Virtualization Security. This brand new VMware vShield-based agentless solution combines an ESET Virtualization Security appliance with ESET Remote Administrator to deliver ESET’s award-winning scanning core allied with proven management capability.


ESET Virtualization Security will be available from today in all regions except North America, where it will be launched on March 1st, 2016.


According to a Gartner Magic Quadrant* survey in 2015, “about 75% of x86 server workloads are virtualized”.  Virtualization brings countless benefits to companies, but without adequate protection of virtual systems it can be more dangerous than it seems.

ESET Virtualization Security was developed to protect sensitive data and to solve the main problems that companies experience when adopting virtualization, such as unprotected virtual servers, the need for multiple vendors to protect physical and virtualized environments, potential performance impacts and complicated licensing.

 “ESET Virtualization Security was developed for virtualized environments, meaning that as a GUI-less appliance it is easy to deploy, set up and operate. Its trademark light system footprint make the solution ideal for avoiding AV storms,” said Michal Jankech, Product Manager at ESET. “Moreover, ESET Virtualization Security is easy to manage thanks to ESET Remote Administrator, which gives IT administrators unlimited access anywhere, anytime.” 

ESET Virtualization Security is compatible with VMware vSphere 5.0 + with installed vCloud Networking and Security. It is consistent with ESET’s next-generation business products and its web-based console ESET Remote Administrator.


Learn more about ESET Virtualization Security and visit on our site.

* Gartner Magic Quadrant for x86 Server Virtualization Infrastructure:http://www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.do?id=1-2JFZ1KP&ct=150715&st=sb

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET Releases Latest Version of ESET Remote Administrator

The service release of ESET Remote Administrator provides businesses with iOS device management, agentless security and ESET SysInspector®, a proven diagnostic tool.

ESET®, a global pioneer in proactive protection for more than two decades, today starts delivering to businesses its latest service release of ESET Remote Administrator. With features such as ESET Mobile Device Management for iOS and management of ESET Virtualization Security, ESET Remote Administrator now boasts even wider market appeal.

ESET Mobile Device Management for iOS allows customers to fully embrace the BYOD trend (Bring Your Own Device, i.e. allowing employees to use their own devices at work). Administrators can now conveniently configure the security-related settings of iOS devices alongside other devices in their business network.

“ESET Mobile Device Management for iOS is easy to set up and allows administrators to manage, configure, remotely lock or even wipe mobile iOS devices,” said Michal Jankech, Business Product Manager at ESET. “Adding this feature to ESET’s remote management console makes ESET Remote Administrator a real single pane of glass for their environment.”

ESET Remote Administrator supports ESET Virtualization Security, ESET’s brand new product providing agentless protection for VMware vShield, which was launched today.

To manage and install ESET Virtualization Security in a network, administrators need only install a GUI-less ESET Virtualization Security Appliance in their VMware virtualized infrastructure and link it to ESET Remote Administrator. This will enable remote configuration of the solution and execution of tasks on virtual machines, which are protected in agentless form.

Moreover, ESET SysInspector® is now integrated into ESET Remote Administrator. This helps admins track-back security incidents and system changes for each endpoint, using ESET SysInspector’s snapshots.

ESET Remote Administrator is a platform-independent remote management console designed to minimize downtime, while allowing actions to be performed automatically based on dynamic group membership.

Learn more about ESET Remote Administrator or check out ESET’s complete offer for businesses.  

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

ESET Earns ‘Top Rated’ Award from AV-Comparatives

ESET Smart Security 9 was named Top Rated in the AV-Comparatives Summary Report 2015, receiving six Advanced+ ratings from the independent testing organization.

AV-Comparatives, an independent anti-malware testing organization, today publishes its annual Summary Report 2015 summarizing its tests and providing a market-wide overview of security products.


ESET Smart Security 9 received six Advanced+ awards in 2015, won a Silver Award in the False Positives category and a Bronze in Proactive Protection. ESET products, along with five from other vendors, were awarded AV-Comparatives’ Top Rated badge.

“ESET has been a constant part of our Summary Reports since 2006. With each new version, ESET Smart Security retains its clean trademark detection and sustains its low performance impact. With improved graphic design and finger-friendly controls, we believe thatESET products are suitable for use on touchscreens,” said Andreas Clementi, CEO at AV-Comparatives.

In 2015, AV-Comparatives subjected 21 Windows security products from a range of vendors to rigorous investigation. All were tested for their ability to protect against real-world Internet threats, identify thousands of recent malicious programs, and provide protection without slowing down the PCs on which they ran. 

 Learn more about ESET or read more about ESET products in the AV-Comparatives’ Summary Report 2015.  

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.


About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.