KASPERSKY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Abdessabour Arous is a Security Researcher in the Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). His primary role is to track and expose Advanced Persistence Threats (APTs) targeting the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Abdessabour has extensive experience in cybersecurity, with more than 14 years spent in various roles from malware analysis, incident response and digital forensics to cyber-intelligence and counter-intelligence. Abdessabour holds an Engineering Degree in Information Systems with multiple offensive and defensive security certifications.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Managing Director, APAC
Adrian brings over two decades of experience in international companies and the local IT industry in APAC, where he successfully grew businesses, achieving outstanding results. He is responsible for driving the company's market footprint extension, channel reach and new business growth in key territories in the region. Taking his extensive knowledge in pan-Asian IT markets, his role also includes spearheading and managing the region's sales, marketing, and channel go-to-market strategy and execution.
Prior to joining Kaspersky, Adrian was the Senior Regional VP for ASEAN & Greater China Region at Zscaler. His seasoned experience in the IT industry also includes regional sales and channel stints in VMWare, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems
Job Titles:
- Principal Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Boris is very passionate about reverse engineering and has been working on it for the last decade, performing vulnerability research on software for different CPU architectures and systems. In his current role, Boris develops technologies for detection of supply chain attacks and zero-day exploits, and already discovered a few of them. In addition, Boris is the author of educational materials for Kaspersky Academy, and his latest writeups about zero-day exploits and the inner workings of commonly exploited software can be found on Securelist.com.
Job Titles:
- Head of DACH Unit, Global Research & Analysis Team
- Head of the German Research and Analysis Team
Christian Funk has been head of the German Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky since 2014. He joined the company in 2007 and was appointed as a Virus Analyst for Central Europe one year later.
His areas of expertise include malware trends, mobile threats, IoT technologies, social networking and observing the online gaming black market. His other responsibilities include conducting employee training and compiling IT security statistics. In addition, he is a regular keynote speaker at national and international technology trade shows and IT security events.
Christian Funk studied computer science with a focus on information management at the University of Applied Sciences in Ingolstadt.
Job Titles:
- Senior Security Researcher
- Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Dan Demeter is a senior security researcher at Kaspersky's Global Research & Analysis Team.
Dan graduated from Imperial College London and holds a Master of Engineering in Software Engineering. He joined Kaspersky in 2014 where his work focuses on developing threat intelligence systems, processing big data and creating new technologies to fight advanced persistent threats.
When not meddling around with network cables or bricking routers he can be found playing board games and snowboarding on slopes around the world.
Job Titles:
- Principal Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
David Emm is Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky, a provider of security and threat management solutions.
David joined Kaspersky in 2004. He is a member of the company's Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) and has worked in the anti-malware industry since 1990 in a variety of roles, including that of Senior Technology Consultant at Dr Solomon's Software, and Systems Engineer and Product Manager at McAfee.
In his current role, David regularly delivers presentations on malware and other IT security threats at exhibitions and events, highlighting what organisations and consumers can do to stay safe online. He also provides comment to broadcast and print media on the ever-changing cyber-security and threat landscape. David has a strong interest in malware, ID theft and the human aspects of security, and is a knowledgeable advisor on all aspects of online security.
Job Titles:
- General Manager, Kaspersky ( South Asia )
Job Titles:
- Head of Kaspersky 's Global Research & Analysis Team
- Head of Russia and CIS Unit, Global Research & Analysis Team
Dmitry Galov serves as the Head of Kaspersky's Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) Russia and CIS Unit. In this influential role, he leads the team of experts in charge of researching the most sophisticated cases related to APTs and financially motivated attacks. Dmitry embarked on his journey with Kaspersky in September 2015 as an intern and later joined GReAT in August 2018, gradually progressing to become Senior Security Researcher. Before assuming his current position, he spearheaded the crimeware research group, showcasing his leadership capabilities.
Dmitry is an expert with a profound understanding of various threats. His extensive research, covering topics such as non-Windows malware, future connected healthcare, cyber-espionage campaigns, and ransomware, has been published on Securelist.com, a testament to his expertise and contributions.
Known for his exceptional public speaking skills, Dmitry frequently represents Kaspersky at global and local events, leaving a lasting impact on audiences. Additionally, he actively participates in the creation of webinars and videos that delve into the realm of cybersecurity.
Job Titles:
- Head of META Unit, Global Research & Analysis Team
- in 2013 As a Senior Security Researcher
Dr. Mohamad Amin Hasbini joined Kaspersky in 2013 as a Senior Security Researcher in the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). He is now head of the same research center for the META region. Amin is responsible for Kaspersky's expert positioning, research expansion, and knowledge maturity in four regional offices. He has a PHD in smart cities information security from the Brunel University in London.
Prior to joining Kaspersky, Amin was a senior consultant at Deloitte and Touche Middle East. Before that, he worked as a senior security Engineer at DataConsult in Lebanon.
Eugene is a passionate traveler and dedicated devotee of wild nature and adventure-tourism. He is also a talented photographer, which assists in his prolific chronicling of his exploits on his blog - from polar expeditions and glacier crossings to volcano scaling and jungle trekking.
Job Titles:
- Head of Latin America Unit, Global Research & Analysis Team
Fabio Assolini joined Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), which boasts the industry's top analysts, in July 2009 to primarily focus on one of the most dynamic countries in Latin America: Brazil. Fabio's responsibilities include the analysis of virus, cyber attacks, banking trojans and other types of malware that originate from Brazil and the rest of the region. He particularly focuses on the research and detection of banking trojans. In November 2012, he was promoted to senior security researcher.
Since 2006, Fabio has been a voluntary member of the security community Linha Defensiva (Defensive Line), a non-government organization. In addition, he is a member of the Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals (ASAP), a network of NGOs, professionals and individuals dedicated to providing security related support to end users. Fabio has more than five years of experience as a malware analyst and possesses a university degree in Computer Science.
Job Titles:
- Head of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Asia Pacific & Middle East, Turkey and Africa
Genie heads up Kaspersky's Public Affairs in the APAC & META regions, where she is responsible for developing trusted relations with government and institutional stakeholders for the company, while integrating the business, communications and public policy strategies.
She frequently speaks on international platforms and is a thought leader in topics surrounding public policy, and the intersection of technology and policy. She holds a Juris Doctor in law, an honors degree in Accountancy, and a Specialist Diploma in Counselling Psychology. Called to the Singapore Bar, she is also Mediation Coach at the Singapore Mediation Centre, and a Mediator at the Singapore International Mediation Institute. Having a rich and diverse career history, Genie started her journeys in accountancy and law in Big Four Firms. Early on, she was an award-winning entrepreneur, before spending a significant time in Public Service as a senior government official, having assumed several portfolios such as Special Aide to the Minister for Law and Singapore negotiator and delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.
Job Titles:
- Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
With a strong background in cybersecurity research, Georgy has contributed significantly to the field through his comprehensive investigations into advanced persistent threats (APTs) such as FinFisher, APT41, and Lazarus. Georgy actively shares his research findings at prominent conferences, including SAS, VirusBulletin, and other renowned gatherings, where his presentations captivate audiences and contribute to the collective knowledge of the cybersecurity community.
Driven by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and a commitment to securing the digital landscape, Georgy Kucherin is an emerging force in the field of cybersecurity research, poised to make lasting contributions in the fight against cyber threats.
Job Titles:
- in 2017 As a Security Researcher
- Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Giampaolo Dedola joined Kaspersky in 2017 as a security researcher in the Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). He has a passion for malware analysis, reverse engineering and incident response. His research is focused on sophisticate threats, APT, targeted attacks and threat hunting techniques. Now he is a senior security researcher.
Before joining Kaspersky, he worked for Telecom Italia, the main Italian ISP. He held the position of L3 SOC analyst, forensic analyst and principal malware analyst. More specifically, he was part of the Incident Response team and was focused on critical incidents. He worked also as consultant for an Italian military contractor and his activities were related to cyber-warfare. Giampaolo received a cybersecurity degree from the University of Milan.
Job Titles:
- Director, Global Research & Analysis Team
- in 2001 As a Virus Analyst
Igor joined Kaspersky in 2001 as a virus analyst. In 2009, he was promoted to the role of infrastructure group manager, where he spearheaded the development of infrastructure dedicated to the processing and detection of spam messages within the Anti-Spam division.
In 2011, Igor transitioned to the Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky, assuming the position of a malware expert. His expertise and contributions led to his appointment as the principal security researcher in 2013, and subsequently as the chief security researcher. He held this title until his promotion to the position of Head of GReAT Russia and CIS Unit in 2022.
Building on his past achievements, Igor was further promoted in 2023 to the position of Director, where he now leads the renowned Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). His research focuses on investigating malware campaigns and employing reverse engineering techniques to understand advanced malware. His profound knowledge and skills have proven instrumental in understanding and countering complex cyber threats.
Jaydeep plays a pivotal role in leading Kaspersky's business operation, fostering partnerships, and driving growth and innovation across the country. He has a history of strategic advisory, handling solution sales and business development in individual and leadership roles in the Indian & SAARC region over the last 25 years.
Jaydeep has a deep understanding of the region's diverse cybersecurity landscape, a strong background in sales & business development of IT, software & networking solutions and has rich experience in Telecom, IT/Ites, Government and public sector, BFSI and Manufacturing verticals, as well as mid-market enterprise.
Job Titles:
- Head of Corporate Communications
- Head of Corporate Communications, Kaspersky, APAC
Jesmond Chang, the Head of Corporate Communications, for the APAC region has been involved in Public Relations and Marketing related jobs for more than 10 years building close rapport and understanding the needs of both media and the market.
Overseeing Kaspersky's corporate communications strategy for APAC, he will be leading the company's corporate communication initiatives throughout the region such as ideas, campaigns, CSR events, meeting company goals and carrying out global PR implementations throughout the region.
He joined Kaspersky in the year 2010 for the opportunity to develop his interest in internet security and sharing the importance of the security industry to the public with the experience that he has acquired over his career. Jesmond is a frequent and renowned speaker at several IT related events, both locally and internationally.
Job Titles:
- Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
For five years from 2012, Seth worked in Kaspersky China as a malware analyst. While there, he was part of the former virus lab in Beijing, where Seth was responsible for detecting malware and conducting in-depth sample analysis for customers. He is experienced with the heuristic engine, BSS, and IDS rules.
Seth then spent three years at another cybersecurity company as Threat Analysis Expert. In this role he focused on DDoS botnet tracking, IOC extraction, and deeply analyzed IoT botnets.
In 2021, Seth rejoined Kaspersky as a senior security researcher in the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). He currently plays an active role in the analysis of APT attacks targeting the Asian region, specifically China.
Job Titles:
- Local Security Expert for the BeNeLux
- Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Jornt works as a local security expert for the BeNeLux region in Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). During his time at the company, Jornt has managed several different high-profile projects. For instance, he helped the Dutch police with the Coinvault case, that led to the arrest of two malware authors. After this success, Jornt was a driving force behind the NoMoreRansom project. Together with various law enforcement agencies, he identified several servers that held cryptographic keys of ransomware victims. As a result, more than 35,000 people got their files back without paying the criminals and the action prevented millions of dollars going into the pockets of criminals.
Job Titles:
- Principal Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Kurt joined Kaspersky in 2010. He researches and reports on targeted attack activity, complex intrusions, and advanced malware. He focuses on privacy and cryptography technologies.
Kurt contributes to working groups and shares his findings with other members of various online communities. He regularly gives presentations on malware issues at international conferences and offers his thoughts to a variety of journalists and media about current cybersecurity matters.
Prior to joining Kaspersky, Kurt was VP of Behavioral Threat Research at Symantec for PC Tools' ThreatFire. Originally joining ThreatFire when it was a startup in 2005, Kurt was as their sole researcher and led their research efforts through two successful acquisitions. Before Symantec, Kurt was Chief Threat Officer at Novatix and a Threat Analyst at SonicWALL.
Job Titles:
- Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Leonid joined Kaspersky in 2020 as an intern in the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). Here, he played an active role in the development of internal tools and infrastructure as well as darknet research and assisted in training courses provided by GReAT.
In 2021, Leonid was invited to join GReAT as a junior security researcher. As part of his role, he is engaged in reverse engineering and malware analysis. In addition to this, Leonid has become one of the authors of Crimeware reports and dark web research publications. Based on his successful research he appears as a speaker in Kaspersky videos demonstrating his expertise in Threat Intelligence.
Leonid is currently enrolled in Lomonosov Moscow State University and studies Fundamental Informatics and Information Technology.
Job Titles:
- in 2018 As a Senior Security Researcher
- Lead Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Maher Yamout joined Kaspersky in 2018 as a Senior Security Researcher in the Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). Maher is responsible for Kaspersky's expert positioning in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, as well as cyber threat research, threat intelligence development, and knowledge support of the regional office in Dubai, UAE.
Prior to joining Kaspersky, Maher was a Specialist Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche M.E., preceded as Information Security Officer in the Lebanese Government. Maher lead and engaged in many security assessments, digital forensics and incident response activities for a multitude of clients and in several industries across UK, Middle East and the GCC region. The security assessments included but not limited to red teaming, penetration testing, industrial control systems security, mobile and web application security testing, physical security testing, and more. Maher also engaged in responding to many incidents such as phishing, ransomware attacks, cyber-espionage, APTs, POS malware, online banking thefts, fraud, and insider threat.
Maher is specialized in cyber threat intelligence, incident response and targeted attacks mitigation. He holds degrees in computer science and computer & communication, pursuing a Master degree in Intelligence Studies, and possess multiple certificates from GIAC, ISC2 and others.
Job Titles:
- Lead Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
With more than 10 years of cybersecurity experience, he currently focuses on malware analysis, reverse engineering, and threat intelligence research. Previously, he carried out his tasks within an anti-fraud team, serving different financial institutions, governments, and CERT / CSIRT teams. He is a regular contributor to the community and a speaker at national and international conferences.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director, Global Research & Analysis Team
In 2022, Marco was appointed Deputy Director for the company's Global Research & Analysis Team. Marco got promoted from the position of Director of Europe for the Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky, that he has led since March 2013. Prior to becoming Director of Europe, Marco served as the head of Kaspersky's Global Research & Analysis Team in Germany and senior security researcher. Marco has been working in the area of networking and IT security since the early 2000s. Having long term experience in his role, he is responsible for monitoring the threat landscape in Europe while specializing in threat intelligence, darknet research, password security, IoT security and privacy. In addition to research-related projects, Marco is a regular speaker at both closed and public events and maintains close contact with security partners.
Marco began his career with Kaspersky back in 2004 as a Technical Consultant, providing expert knowledge on Linux and Unix-based systems. He has also been involved in corporate sales management, before moving on to become the technical contact for the OEM department, supporting customized solutions. Marco worked extensively with the company's product design and development teams and joined the research team as a Virus Analyst in 2009.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Noushin Shabab is a cybersecurity researcher based in Australia, specializing in reverse engineering and targeted attack investigations.
She joined Kaspersky in 2016 as a senior security researcher in the Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). Her research focuses on the investigation of advanced cyber-criminal activities and targeted attacks with a particular focus on local threats in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Kaspersky, Noushin worked as a senior malware analyst and security software developer focusing on rootkit analysis and detection techniques as well as APT attack investigations.
Noushin is very active in the local cybersecurity community in Australia and New Zealand where she regularly presents at various security conferences and events and also delivers technical workshops. She is also a member of the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) which aims to connect, support, collaborate and inspire women in the Australian cybersecurity industry. She was the first mentor to provide technical workshops and mentorship in the AWSN cadets program. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between university and industry by bringing together female students from different universities interested in pursuing a career in the information security space.
Job Titles:
- in 2019 As a Senior Security Researcher
- Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Saurabh Sharma joined Kaspersky Lab in 2019 as a senior security researcher in the Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT). He has a passion for malware analysis, reverse engineering and incident response. His researches are focused on sophisticate threats and specifically APT, targeted attacks and threats hunting techniques.
Before joining Kaspersky Lab he worked for Symantec STAR team as Security Researcher. He worked on reverse engineering of complex malware samples, tracking botnets, writing botnet clients, extracting DGA (Domain Generation Algorithms), and ransomware files decryption.
Job Titles:
- Lead Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Seongsu Park is a passionate researcher on malware, threat intelligence and incident response. He has extensive experience in information security, malware analysis, and the wider threat intelligence industry. He now works in the Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis Team as a lead security researcher and focuses on analyzing and tracking security threats in the APAC region.
Job Titles:
- Principal Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
For seven years, Sergey was a senior security researcher on the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), where he researched and published on financial threats, like Carbanak, Silence and Digital Doppelgangers. He also analyzed many nation-state advanced persistent threat (APT) samples. Based on this experience, Sergey created malware reverse engineering courses that teach the most effective methods for analyzing top malware threats. He's trained beginner and experienced malware analysts, SOC analysts in various private and government organizations around the world as well as law enforcement officers. His cybersecurity research focuses on topics related to investigating and reverse engineering advanced persistent and financial threats.
Between 2019 and 2021, Sergey worked at JPMorgan Chase as a malware reverse engineer, focusing on APTs. In 2022, he returned to Kaspersky GReAT as a lead security researcher.
Job Titles:
- Lead Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team
Tatyana has been working at Kaspersky for over eight years, researching and providing detection for Android malicious software as well as writing Snort/Suricata rules to detect malicious network activity. Tatyana teaches colleagues all around the world, giving webinars, research presentations, and workshops (e.g., Suricata) at high-ranked cybersecurity conferences such as Mobile World Congress, Security Analyst Summit, Botconf, and SuriCon. The list of Tatyana's meaningful projects includes a study of banking Trojans and a GravityRAT multi-platform family of targeted cyberespionage tools.
Tatyana uses her considerable experience in cybersecurity in the fight against gender bias in STEM - today she is a member of the Women of Suricata, a community founded by female members of the Suricata IDS non-profit project. Besides this, she continuously contributes to the Coalition Against Stalkerware's work by providing research on various types of stalkerware as well as detecting, classifying, and analyzing stalkerware problems. Together with the Coalition, Tatyana raises awareness about the issue, and helps to protect the victims of stalkerware. In addition to this, Tatyana not only publishes her research on thematic platforms (such as Securelist) but also continuously shares her latest findings on Twitter and often appears in the biggest national and international media.
Job Titles:
- Head of APAC Unit, Global Research & Analysis Team
Vitaly has been involved in research at Kaspersky since 2005. In 2008, he was appointed Senior Antivirus Expert, before becoming Director of the EEMEA Research Center in 2009. In 2014 he was seconded to INTERPOL, where for two years he worked in the Digital Crime Center, specializing in malware reverse engineering, digital forensics and cybercrime investigation. Currently Vitaly is based in Singapore and is leading a team of APAC threat researchers focused on targeted attacks investigation. He is the author of Kaspersky's first open-source project, a remote digital forensics tool called Bitscout, made available on Github.
Vitaly has presented at many international security conferences as well as multiple invite-only security events. He is a trainer in malware analysis, YARA for malware hunters, and remote digital forensics.