Education: Master of Information Security (2007) at National Nuclear Research University "MEPHI"
Bachelor of Electronics (2001) at Moscow College of Management and New Technologies
Highlights of your career? I have more than ten years of experience with malware analysis, reverse engineering and advanced exploitation techniques. Worked as a security researcher since 2003 for major Russian IT companies. Frequently invited to speak at major security conferences with hardcore technical stuff.
Position and history at ESET? I joined the company in October 2009 as a Senior Malware Researcher and am currently working as Security Intelligence Team Lead. My team researches the most complex threats.
What malware do you hate the most? Stuxnet and Flame families for tons of C++ code.
Favorite activities? Reverse engineering, automation of RE processes and research in modern exploitation techniques.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Don't trust anybody, because you don’t know who is really sitting on other side of the communication channel and bad guys can play with your trust.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? My first experience with personal computers was with a ZX Spectrum in 1992. My first PC with i486DX4 on the board was purchased in 1995.
Favorite computer game/activity? I like cyberpunk computer game series as System Shock and Deus Ex. But lately my favorite computer game has been IDA Pro disassembler ;)
Education: M. Sc., Electrical Engineering
Highlights of your career? VP engineering @ tech startup Kryptiva
Malware Researcher @ ESET
Security Intelligence Team Lead @ ESET
Position and history at ESET? Joined ESET as a Malware Researcher in 2010
Co-started ESET Canada office in Montreal in 2011
Currently holding a Security Intelligence Team Lead position in Montreal.
What malware do you hate the most? Festi
Favorite activities? Camping and home improvement projects.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Use multiple layers of protection: A-V, hardened browsers & OS, etc.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? In 1996, my parents got the family a Pentium 1 @133 Mhz and 16 Mb RAM. 6 months later we even installed a 9600 modem to connect to the Internet.
Favorite computer game/activity? Freecell is awesome.
Education? MSc
Highlights of your career? Founder of AVIEN, Board member of SDRCC, NCSA, AVAR
Position and history at ESET?
Current: CEO of ESET North America
Previous: CRO of ESET LLC
What malware do you hate the most? Adware
Favorite activities? Running, playing guitar.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Don’t click stuff.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1987, Amstrad PC1640.
Favorite computer game/activity? Quake, Age of Empires, Metal Gear series.
Highlights of your career? First employee at McAfee; Director at Tribal Voice, one of the first instant messaging companies; moderator at several popular online communities, including Lenovo, Lockergnome Help Forum, Scots Newsletter Forum and Wilders Security Forum; received Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and Neowin Most Valuable Contributor awards.
Position and history at ESET? Joined ESET in 2005 as Manager, Support; moved to Manager, Research in 2006; promoted to Distinguished Researcher in 2009.
What malware do you hate the most? Malware that alters, corrupts, destroys, modifies or steals a user’s data is on my “most-hated” list. To me, that’s the ultimate violation of a user’s computer.
Favorite activities? Reading, sleeping
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Avoid the impulse to click on things.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? The first computer I used would probably have been a Commodore PET. I also used the Apple ][ and Commodore 64. This would have been the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Favorite computer game/activity? I spend most of my free computing time on forums helping answer other users’ technology questions.
I used to play City of Heroes and World of Warcraft with others, but game so infrequently now that everyone in those teams/guilds had pretty much surpassed me. These days, it’s mostly solo games of Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2.
Education: CISSP, RHCSA
Highlights of your career? Reverse engineering human brain patterns.
What malware do you hate the most? Nation state sponsored low and slow.
Favorite activities? Building and flying airplanes.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Stupid hurts.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1988, Radio Shack TRS-80.
Favorite computer game/activity? Java/Big Data algorithms to find brain patterns.
Education? Academic background in modern languages, social sciences, and computer science. A Fellow of the BCS Institute (formerly the British Computing Society), Chartered IT Professional, Certified Information Security Systems Professional, BS7799/ISO27001 Lead Auditor.
Highlights of your career? Office administration, programming, and IT support at Royal Free Hospital, then with Human Genome Project. System administration and support, then security analyst at Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now Cancer Research UK). Wrote/co-wrote/edited a number of Internet FAQs and my first articles on programming, security etc. I presented my first conference papers in 1997 (at Virus Bulletin and SANS), and soon after inherited the Mac Virus web site, which I still run as an independent security information resource. In 2001 I joined the UK’s National Health Service, where I ran the Threat Assessment Centre until 2006, acquired qualifications in computer security, security audit, and service management (ITIL), and was the go-to person nationally for issues related to malware. Viruses Revealed, published the same year by Osborne, wasn’t my first security book (I’ve written or contributed to about a dozen) but it was the first to make a real impact and was published in 2001: that, and the AVIEN Malware Defense Guide (Syngress), to which Andrew Lee also contributed, are probably the best known of my books.
Position and history at ESET? Senior Research Fellow at ESET N. America. I’ve worked with ESET since 2006, primarily as an author and blogger, editor, conference speaker, and commentator on a wide range of security issues. Essentially, they put up with me because I’ve been around so long.
What malware do you hate the most? Malware is just code. It’s malicious people I detest. While I’ve no love of the gangs behind phishing scams and banking Trojans, fake AV, 419s, support scams and so on, I can see that it’s easier to be honest in a relatively prosperous environment, if there is such a thing anymore, and that cybercrime can be driven by an economic imperative. But I have nothing but contempt for those sociopaths who cause harm to others for no reason except that they can.
Favorite activities? The guitar (I still play semi-professionally when time allows), songwriting, recording, listening to other people’s music. I love opera but don’t attempt to sing it. Photography, art, poetry, country walking – well, ambling is about as much as I can manage at my age – good food and wine, good television when I can find it...
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Scepticism is a survival trait: don’t assume that anything you read online is gospel truth. Even this adage.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? Amstrad PCW in 1986. It ran a version of CP/M and came with an integral printer, word-processing software and versions of BASIC and Logo. I moved on to an 8086 when I got my first job in IT. What else would you expect a not-very-rich author to buy in 1986? :)
Favorite computer game/activity? Extra-curricular writing (blogging, verse, articles). Artwork and digital photography.
Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science
Highlights of your career? Focused on the analysis of complex threats. A co-author of the corresponding research papers: “TDL3: The Rootkit of All Evil?”, “Stuxnet Under the Microscope” and “King of Spam: Festi Botnet Analysis”. Received Best Speaker award at AVAR 2012.
Position and history at ESET? Malware Researcher, Security Intelligence Program. Joined ESET team since 2010 as Malware Researcher.
What malware do you hate the most? Win32/Flamer is the malware I hate the most. I guess it’s needless to say why? ;)
Favorite activities? Reversing, programming, teaching.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? I got my first computer in 1998 it was Pentium 200.
Favorite computer game/activity? I spent my free time reading fiction/scientific-popular books and swimming.
Education? B. Eng. Electical Engineering / M. Eng. Computer Engineering
Highlights of your career? My career highlight at ESET was able to present research I conducted at conferences such as Virus Bulletin and ZeroNights.
Position and history at ESET? I joined ESET in 2011. I am a malware researcher in the Security Intelligence program.
What malware do you hate the most? Win32/SpyEye. It was the first investigation I did when I joined ESET and, while it was a good learning experience, I still resent it ;)
Favorite activities? I love playing with my kids, cycling, jogging and playing the piano.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Be paranoid enough.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? My dad got me my first computer – a Commodore-64 – in 1988.
Favorite computer game/activity? My favorite computer game is the EA NHL series.
Education Software Engineering student at Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Argentina.
Highlights of career Virus Bulletin speaker in Dallas 2012
Position and history at ESET Security Researcher
What malware you hate the most? Win32/Dorkbot
Favorite activities Running, Skateboarding, Snowboard, Surf and Futbol
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Keep it as safe and open as you can
When did you get your first computer and what kind? I was only a child, I still do not remember the model, and I was only 7 years old.
Favorite computer game/activity Winning Eleven, Age of the Empires and programming
Education: Masters Degree in Communications and Informatics
Favorite activities? Hiking, Photography, Biking, Squash.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Be a sceptic.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1988 – Didaktik Gama
Favorite computer game/activity? Supaplex, Bomberman.
Education? Master Degree in Computer Engineering.
Position and history at ESET? Security Intelligence Program Manager.
What malware do you hate the most? The ones written in VB and Delphi.
Favorite activities? Rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Apply the same caution in cyberspace and in real life.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1988 – Apple II.
Favorite computer game/activity? Losing at Capture the Flag competitions.
Education: Yes
Highlights of your career? Being in the business for 25 years in August 2013.
What malware do you hate the most? Data destroyers.
Favorite activities? Drums, magic, squash.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Practice Safe Hex.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1979, Commodore PET 2001.
Favorite computer game/activity? Jumpman (C=64).
Education? Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Highlights of your career? Giving presentations at several security conferences, including EICAR, CARO, and Virus Bulletin.
Position and history at ESET? Malware Researcher since 2007, currently holds the position Security Intelligence Team Lead.
What malware do you hate the most? Grayware/PUAs – when malware authors complain about detection and try to convince you they’re not malware.
Favorite activities? Snowboarding, listening to music, playing guitar…
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Be reasonably paranoid..
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? During primary school. It was an Intel 8088 palmtop, used it for programming in GW-BASIC
Favorite computer game/activity? Project I.G.I.
Education? CISM Certificate (Certified Information Security Manager).
Highlights of your career? Working on networking and information security for 10 years.
Joined ESET after wining a prize for university students with a paper on Heuristics.
Giving talks around Latam for the last 4 years in different universities, conferences in more than 15 countries.
Position and history at ESET? Education & Research Manager: Jan2012 – Present
Awareness & Research Coordinator: Aug2010 - Dec2011
Awareness & Research Specialist: Feb2009 – Jul2010
What malware do you hate the most? Conficker created a disaster here in Latam, so I’ve been talking too much about this worm for the last three years. It was too much.
Favorite activities? Listen to music, play the guitar, play sports. Also, to talk. =)
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Don’t trust more than in the physical life.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? My mother was a computer teacher, so I've had contact with computers since I was 5 years old. The first was an XT Computer.
Favorite computer game/activity? I love to play basketball games on the computer.
Education? Graduate in Computer Science at Université du Québec à Montréal.
Highlights of my career? Took part in the investigation on Georbot in spring 2012.
Position and history at ESET? Malware Researcher, ESET Canada. With ESET for 2 years.
What malware do you hate the most? Exploit kits.
Favorite activities? Cycling, Starcraft 2.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Keep your software up to date.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? Commodore 64 when I was 7 years old.
Favorite computer game/activity? Starcraft 2.
Education: CISSP (1996)
Highlights of your career? The Stephen Cobb Guide to PC and LAN Security (1992); The first anti-spam router (2001).
Position and history at ESET? ESET Security Evangelist since 2011.
What malware do you hate the most? Reveton.
Favorite activities? Reading and writing, and some arithmetic.
What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Don’t put anything on the Internet you wouldn’t want your mother to see.
When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? 1982 KayPro II portable computer with dual floppy drives, weighing 26 lbs or 12 Kg.
Favorite computer game/activity? Reading Wikipedia.
