ESET Science Award launches its second annual edition

Bratislava – At a time when the world is relying on scientists and science to help with the coronavirus pandemic, ESET Science Award is launching its second annual recognition contest. Its aim is to recognize outstanding scientists working in Slovakia and introduce them to the public, as well as to showcase the essential role that science plays in society. The international jury will once again be chaired by a Nobel Prize winner this year.

In 2019, ESET Science Award launched its second annual edition to recognize exceptional scientists and academics working in Slovakia. Laureates of the first award include chemist Ján Tkáč, molecular biologist Ľubomíra Tóthová, and bioinformatics scientist Tomáš Vinař.

One of the objectives of the ESET Science Award is to highlight the important role of science and scientists within society. “Today more than ever we, as a society, recognize that scientific knowledge can save thousands of lives and help us make better decisions,” says Richard Marko, CEO of ESET. “Results of a survey conducted before the launch of this year’s award show that as much as 86 percent of respondents agree that Slovakia needs stronger support for science and research. We believe that by recognizing outstanding personalities in science, we will be able to increase the public’s interest in the field, thus increasing the state’s support for it.”

The jury that decides on the laureates consists of world-renowned and respected representatives of science disciplines from around the world. The jury assesses the short-listed scientists in terms of the quality of their scientific work and research and how these overlap with society, with an emphasis on international standards. A complex evaluation process includes both quantitative and qualitative criteria, taking into account the analysis of professional work and its benefits for society, communication, and scientific ethics and integrity.

This year, a top-level evaluation process is to be overseen by an international jury chairman who is a Nobel Prize winner. As the award organizer, the ESET Foundation is hopeful that, despite the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic, it will be able to secure the chairman’s participation in person. “Accepting the award from a Nobel Prize winner has been an exceptional moment in my scientific career. Despite the laureates being decided by a high-quality international scientific jury, I am pleased that this award comes not only from scientific circles but also from the wider community. It symbolizes that society is slowly starting to recognize the role of science in people’s everyday lives,” says Jan Tkáč, the 2019 laureate in the main category, Outstanding Individual Contributor to Slovak Science.

Scientists, researchers, and academics working in Slovakia have until May 28, 2020, to submit an application for the ESET Science Award via the esetscienceaward.sk website. Like last year, this year’s award is to be split into three categories – Outstanding Individual Contributor to Slovak Science, Exceptional Young Scientist in Slovakia under the Age of 35, and Outstanding Academic. The award covers four scientific areas: natural sciences, medical and pharmaceutical sciences, technical sciences, and agricultural sciences. An award ceremony to announce the laureates is planned for October 14, 2020, subject to change based on the coronavirus pandemic situation. For more information, visit www.esetscienceaward.sk.

 

 

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 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, different vertical industries, 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 investigates Grandoreiro, a trojan exploiting the coronavirus pandemic

BRATISLAVA, PRAGUE – As part of an ongoing series on Latin American banking trojans, ESET researchers take an in-depth look at Grandoreiro. This trojan targets users especially in Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Peru. Distributed almost exclusively through email spam, it has lately started to utilize fake websites capitalizing on the global coronavirus pandemic. Grandoreiro reveals a persistent effort from its authors to evade detection. Although ESET has seen Grandoreiro primarily distributed through spam, where the authors usually utilize a fake Java or Flash update, recently we have observed a shift to COVID19 related scams. The trojan was hiding in videos on fake websites promising information about the coronavirus. However, instead of playing, clicking the video leads to the download of a payload on visitors’ devices.Grandoreiro has been active since at least 2017 in Brazil and Peru, expanding to Mexico and Spain in 2019. As with other Latin American banking trojans in this series, Grandoreiro attacks its victims by displaying fake pop-up windows as a ploy to get them to divulge sensitive information.

The backdoor functionality of Grandoreiro includes manipulating windows; updating itself; capturing keystrokes; simulating mouse and keyboard actions; navigating browsers to chosen URLs; signing out and restarting machines; and blocking access to websites. Grandoreiro collects various information about affected machines and, in some versions, it also steals credentials stored in Google Chrome as well as data stored in Microsoft Outlook browsers.“For a Latin American banking trojan, Grandoreiro utilizes a surprisingly large number of tricks to evade detection and emulation. That includes many techniques to detect or even disable banking protection software,” says ESET researcher Robert Šuman, leading the team analyzing Grandoreiro. “They seem to be developing the banking trojan very rapidly. Almost every new version we see introduces some changes. We also suspect they are developing at least two variants simultaneously. Interestingly, from a technical point of view, they also utilize a very specific application of the binary padding technique that makes it hard to get rid of the padding while keeping a valid file,” adds Šuman.Unlike the majority of Latin American banking trojans, Grandoreiro utilizes quite small distribution chains. For different campaigns, it may choose a different type of downloader. These downloaders are often stored on well-known public online sharing services such as GitHub, Dropbox, Pastebin, 4shared or 4Sync.

For more technical details about Grandoreiro, read the blogpost “Grandoreiro: How engorged can an EXE get?” on WeLiveSecurity.com. Make sure to follow ESET research on Twitter for the latest news from ESET Research.

 

 

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 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, different vertical industries, 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.

GREYCORTEX CTO ON SECURING THE HOME-OFFICE NETWORK

The emergency provisions related to COVID-19 have been active for some time and more and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home. We asked Our Chief Technology Officer Vladimír Sedláček, a seasoned administrator of ICT, corporate systems, cybersecurity, and experienced developer, about his opinion on current affairs.

The Coronavirus pandemic impact is discussed everywhere, but few people seem to realize that despite all the physical risks, digital issues still present a significant problem. How do you see the current situation, and what do you consider to be the biggest risk in terms of virtual infections, and their possible outcome for companies?

It would be naive to assume that the global crisis would lead to a drop in cyberattacks or will result in a ceasefire. On the contrary. In nature, each weakened individual becomes prey. Regardless of any previous “ceasefire declarations”, we see an increase in the number of attacks and targeted at the SARS-NCov-2 situation. Obviously, we can expect contacts from faux health inspectors and money collectors. Even my inbox has received several phishing emails offering nano-silver infused masks. In addition to attacking the weakest part of cybersecurity – the user – we also see an increase in scanning; looking for vulnerable computers and security holes in firewalls or hastily constructed VPNs and remote desktop gateways. In the end, all of this contributes to latent disclosure of company secrets, production, and patent documentation, or personal data. Infiltration by extortion malware also becomes a threat and can mean a total production halt, as seen both last year and recently in some hospitals in the Czech Republic.

What do you see as the most common errors from employers and top management regarding data exposure; and how does the risk increase with massive deployments of quarantine provisions where most employees work from home?

Right now, the risk is increased by companies laying off contractors, often those working on infrastructure, promoting rotating furloughs, and allowing their administrators to work from home. This can cause a delay in necessary security patching and increased response time. Also, ad hoc suspension of certain user accounts can leave the access ripe for unauthorized access restores later. Last, but not least, some companies have allowed their employees to work from home using their home computers. VPN has thus become a gateway for free access directly into company networks, and to internal company systems, all thanks to home devices with uncertain security postures, possibly outdated operating systems, obsolete software, or a load of games full of spyware. These systems are being used by home-bound users surfing the web with local superuser rights. It is very similar to allowing the usage of personal devices (BYOD) and letting them directly connect into internal, as opposed to guest networks. A lot of companies do not, however, tackle the situation accordingly, and have not familiarized their employees with relevant security policies. Without in-depth employee training and without respecting the basic rules of cyber hygiene, internal data can leave the control of responsible people working with it. What has not received much attention so far is the risk of company device theft in conjunction with wiping such devices clean. Partly due to the fact that the employees “stay home” and are convinced that they have good visibility over their physical environment. However, thefts will happen, and the security angle will need to be tackled. I cannot understand why so few administrators allow internal networks to stay open, and who pay attention to their internal network traffic with only commonly used tools for network monitoring. Same tools that are deployed normally are themselves a potential attack target.

 

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 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, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About GREYCORTEX
GREYCORTEX uses advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining methods to help organizations make their IT operations secure and reliable.

MENDEL, GREYCORTEX’s network traffic analysis solution, helps corporations, governments, and the critical infrastructure sector protect their futures by detecting cyber threats to sensitive data, networks, trade secrets, and reputations, which other network security products miss.

MENDEL is based on 10 years of extensive academic research and is designed using the same technology which was successful in four US-based NIST Challenges.

ESET researchers disrupt cryptomining botnet VictoryGate

BRATISLAVA, BUENOS AIRES – ESET researchers have recently discovered a previously undocumented botnet named VictoryGate. It has been active since at least May 2019, and is composed mainly of devices in Peru, where over 90% of the infected devices are located. The main activity of the botnet is mining Monero cryptocurrency. The victims include organizations in both public and private sectors, including financial institutions. Thanks to data obtained during this research and shared with the nonprofit Shadowserver Foundation, at least a portion of the botnet operation has been disrupted.

ESET researchers have been “sinkholing” several domain names that control the botnet’s actions, replacing them with machines that do not send the botnet’s slave computers the commands they expect, but simply monitor botnet activity. Based on this data and ESET telemetry, ESET estimates that at least 35,000 devices became infected with VictoryGate at one point or another during this campaign.

The only infection vector used for spreading VictoryGate is via removable devices. “The victim receives a USB drive that at some point was connected to an infected machine. It seemingly has all the files with the same names and icons that it contained before being infected. Because of this, the content will look almost identical at first glance. However, all the original files were replaced by a copy of the malware,” says ESET researcher Alan Warburton, who investigated the botnet. “When an unsuspecting user attempts to open one of these files, the script will open both the file that was intended and the malicious payload.”

Warburton also warns about the impact on victims’ machines: “There is very high resource usage by the botnet, resulting in a constant 90% to 99% CPU load. This slows down the device and can cause overheating and possible damage.”

According to ESET research, VictoryGate has made a much greater effort to avoid detection than in previous, similar campaigns observed in the Latam region. And, given the fact that the botmaster can update functionality of the payloads that are downloaded and executed on the infected devices from cryptomining to any other malicious activities at any given time, this poses a considerable risk. This is particularly true since many of the victims identified were in either the public sector or in financial institutions.

If you suspect your device may have been infected with this malware, you can use our free ESET Online Scanner to clean your machine. The first-stage module is detected by ESET security products as MSIL/VictoryGate.

The peak number of unique IP addresses connecting to the botnet command and control server per day.

For more technical details about the VictoryGate botnet, read the blogpost Following ESET’s discovery, a Monero mining botnet is disrupted on WeLiveSecurity. Make sure to follow ESET research on Twitter for the latest news from ESET Research.

 

 

About Version 2 Digital

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 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, different vertical industries, 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.

訊連科技FaceMe® AI臉部辨識引擎獲NEC採用 打造具備臉部辨識功能之All-in-One個人電腦

【2020年04月21日，台北訊】多媒體領導廠商訊連科技（5203.TW）宣布，旗下FaceMe® AI臉部辨識引擎獲日本NEC採用導入於NEC LAVIE Home All-in-One個人電腦之「LAVIE 人工智慧助手」軟體，透過FaceMe®臉部辨識辨別使用電腦之家庭成員及啟動專屬之使用介面及常用軟體。

 

 

LAVIE Home All-in-One為NEC於日本市場上市之全新系列，搭載第 10 代 Intel® Core™處理器，並預載NEC開發之「LAVIE 人工智慧助手」軟體。透過「LAVIE 人工智慧助手」，家庭成員可註冊臉部資訊及設定常用之應用程式，於使用LAVIE Home All-in-One時，透過臉部進行登入、並啟動該成員專屬之 “ Hey LAVIE常見應用”。

「臉部辨識技術是近年來熱門技術，除了各式IoT/AIoT應用外，臉部辨識也可大幅提升消費性電子的方便性。」訊連科技黃肇雄執行長表示：「 NEC個人電腦與訊連在消費性多媒體軟體有長期的合作關係。透過導入FaceMe®臉部辨識，NEC LAVIE Home All-in-one及LAVIE 人工智慧助手可提供家用用戶更方便、快速，且安全性高的臉部辨識。」

FaceMe®為專為邊緣運算（Edge Computing）打造的臉部辨識引擎，可支援Windows、Linux、Android和iOS等多種作業系統。FaceMe®AI臉部辨識引擎，擁有高達99.70%的辨識率，在全球知名NIST臉部辨識競賽中，名列全球最精準且最快速的刷臉技術之一，也是台灣於該項臉部辨識競賽中表現最佳之廠商。除了可以支援功效強大的工作站或個人電腦，亦可針對IoT/AIoT物聯網設備中的輕量、低功耗設備進行優化。彈性SDK解決方案，能建構智慧安控、智慧零售、智慧辦公室、智慧警政和智慧金融等應用。已被國內外多家知名廠商採用，發展以臉部辨識技術為核心之新一代智慧應用。

 

About Version 2

Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 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, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

關於CyberLink
訊連科技創立於1996年，擁有頂尖視訊與音訊技術的影音軟體公司，專精於數位影音軟體及多媒體串流應用解決方案產品研發，並以「抓準技術板塊，擴大全球行銷布局」的策略，深根台灣、佈局全球，展現亮麗的成績。訊連科技以先進的技術提供完美的高解析影音播放效果、以尖端的科技提供完整的高解析度擷取、編輯、製片及燒錄功能且完整支援各種高解析度影片及音訊格式。產品包括：「威力導演」、「PowerDVD」、「威力製片」、「威力酷燒」等。