Stephen Cobb

Stephen Cobb

Senior Security Researcher


Education: Master of Science in Security and Risk Management, University of Leicester, UK

Highlights of your career? The Stephen Cobb Guide to PC and LAN Security (1992); The first anti-spam router (2001); Privacy for Business (2002); TEDx talk (2015)

Position and history at ESET? Joined ESET: 2011. Current title: Senior Security Researcher

What malware do you hate the most? State sponsored.

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.


224 articles by Stephen Cobb

Cybercrime

Cybercrime update: Arrests, indictments, takedowns, and more

Cybercrime update: Arrests, indictments, takedowns, and more

Cybercrime

Cybercrime update: Arrests, indictments, takedowns, and more

If you search for cybersecurity or cybercrime under Google News the results can be depressing: so many cybercrimes, so few arrests. But over the past few months law enforcement has begun to strike back.

Stephen Cobb14 Aug 20175 min. read


Black Hat at 20, DefCon at 25: Not just about breaking things

Black Hat at 20, DefCon at 25: Not just about breaking things

Black Hat at 20, DefCon at 25: Not just about breaking things

Ironically named for the criminal hackers that cybersecurity pros spend their days – and not a few nights – defending against, the Black Hat Briefings quickly earned a reputation for excellent technical content.

Stephen Cobb11 Aug 20175 min. read


Digital Security

Disney, Depp and the cyber supply chain risk management problem

Disney, Depp and the cyber supply chain risk management problem

Digital Security

Disney, Depp and the cyber supply chain risk management problem

Multimillion dollar movies and TV shows are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals. ESET's Stephen Cobb investigates the cyber supply chain risk management problem and explains what to do about it.

Stephen Cobb15 Jun 20177 min. read


Privacy

Is the world ready for GDPR? Privacy and cybersecurity impacts are far-reaching

Is the world ready for GDPR? Privacy and cybersecurity impacts are far-reaching

Privacy

Is the world ready for GDPR? Privacy and cybersecurity impacts are far-reaching

Enforcement of GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation, begins in May of 2018, imposing data privacy and security requirements on many organizations in the US and other countries. Are you impacted?

Stephen Cobb23 May 20179 min. read


Ransomware

Jackware hits the big screen in #Fast8: Fate of the Furious

Jackware hits the big screen in #Fast8: Fate of the Furious

Ransomware

Jackware hits the big screen in #Fast8: Fate of the Furious

ESET's Stephen Cobb examines how close we are to the kind of jackware technology shown in the latest Fast and Furious film franchise, Fate of the Furious.

Stephen Cobb09 May 20176 min. read


Privacy

Surveillance, cybersecurity, and the future of privacy in The Circle

Surveillance, cybersecurity, and the future of privacy in The Circle

Privacy

Surveillance, cybersecurity, and the future of privacy in The Circle

If surveillance, cybersecurity, and privacy are things you think about a lot, you should find The Circle interesting viewing.

Stephen Cobb05 May 20178 min. read


Cybercrime

Will cybercrime and other cybersecurity issues undermine the digital economy?

Will cybercrime and other cybersecurity issues undermine the digital economy?

Cybercrime

Will cybercrime and other cybersecurity issues undermine the digital economy?

ESET's Stephen Cobb looks at whether or not cybercrime and other cybersecurity issues will undermine the digital economy.

Stephen Cobb26 Apr 20175 min. read


Internet of Things

IoT of toys stranger than fiction: Cybersecurity and data privacy update

IoT of toys stranger than fiction: Cybersecurity and data privacy update

Internet of Things

IoT of toys stranger than fiction: Cybersecurity and data privacy update

The Internet of Stranger Things came to life in the recent case of a cuddly connected toy, raising wider and deeper questions about cybersecurity, privacy, and the future of digital technology.

Stephen Cobb03 Mar 20174 min. read


Internet of Things

FTC vs. VIZIO: Getting smart about TV data collection and sharing

FTC vs. VIZIO: Getting smart about TV data collection and sharing

Internet of Things

FTC vs. VIZIO: Getting smart about TV data collection and sharing

Is your smart TV selling data about what you watch, without asking? As the US FTC goes after one TV maker, it may be time to check.

Stephen Cobb07 Feb 20175 min. read