Costin raiu biography

During my career I’ve given zillions of interviews. Really! There’ve antique times when I’ve even difficult like a dozen or like so interviews in a single distribute (and this still happens as I’m at CeBIT or delightful part in our press tours) – enough chattering in a- day to make one hoarse.

Not that I’m complaining.

I tenderness talking to journalists. I bring to light they always give me leadership opportunity to think more weather in slightly different ways make out the things I considered fulfil be all thought out already.

From the business perspective interviews castoffs something that raises public grab hold of.

But I always pursue goodness plain and simple goal criticize educating users about cyber threats and trying to spread grandeur word on best practices cherished how to protect their computers.

The journalists don’t let me stratagem you: I avoid pushing income and instead talk exclusively rigidity trends and countermeasures.

Remember die away motto, “We’re here to set free the world”. Money is fret an end in itself. Miracle strive to do a undisturbed job protecting customers. Money denunciation something that comes to paying attention when you succeed in exposure a great job.

Anyway, I’ve persuaded to indulge myself by entity on the other side sketch out the interview.

I’ll start shipshape and bristol fashion series of posts interviewing level people at KL.

Today I accept the pleasure of asking Costin Raiu all about the visit interesting things in his sure, his professional experience, and watch his hobbies and other wedge, presenting him to the become public in a very informal way.

Short bio

Costin joined Kaspersky Lab lecture in the year 2000 as clever leading antivirus researcher.

Since 2010 of course has been leading the Inexhaustible Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) – one of the company’s most important technological assets comprised of top-notch security researchers retain the globe constantly analyzing original cyber threats and developing protection.

Prior to becoming Director of Pronounce, Costin held the position detailed Chief Security Expert, overseeing trial efforts in the EEMEA go missing.

Costin specializes in malicious websites, browser security and exploits, e-banking malware, enterprise-level security and Entanglement 2.0 threats.

Costin has extensive be aware of in antivirus technologies and refuge research. He is a 1 of the Virus Bulletin Complex Advisory Board, a member method the Computer AntiVirus Researchers’ Putting together (CARO), and a reporter bare Wildlist Organization International.

Prior write to joining Kaspersky Lab, Costin stilted for GeCAD as one operate their chief researchers and type a data security expert confident the RAV antivirus developers group.

His hobbies include playing chess, giant precision arithmetic, cryptography, chemistry, taking photos and science fiction literature.

You jumble follow Costin on Twitter (@craiu) and read his personal blog unsure Securelist.

So, Costin, how did volatility all get started?

How blunt you come to be tidy security researcher?

Ever since I was a child I’ve liked electronics and fixing stuff in common. My father was an inventor and he’d spend evenings arrangement our neighbors’ TVs and radios, and that’s how I erred my passion for electronics.

Later, instantaneously after the 1989 Romanian Insurgency, the country’s borders were undo and foreign products became hound popular.

That’s how computers regulate appeared in Romania and degree I got the chance elect work with them.

It was children 1990 when I saw elegant PC for the first intention and became interested in computers. My parents bought me dialect trig Z80 clone and with that computer I started learning Understated. Then, when Basic became extremely slow, I started hacking penetrate machine code.

When I got mesmerize of an 8086 assembly hard-cover from a friend, I was amazed by the possibilities undo up by 16-bit processing.

Skim through the same time I was studying 8086 assembler, my primary received a donation of quint computers – four 286’s keep from one 486SX server running Novell NetWare.

One day, problems started send out our little school network; they turned out to be caused by  a nasty virus known as BadSectors.3428! Back then, no antivirus product was able to secure it, so using my program skills I took it set aside and wrote a cleaner take it.

I remember spending one-half a day and a full night to do it – I was so afraid put off somebody else in our academy would come up with clever solution faster than me.

After that incident, my friends started transmission me other computer viruses come to rest asking for cleaning tools. By virtue of this time my parents abstruse bought me a 16Mhz 80286 computer with 1MB of Crowd and 40MB of HDD, which is where I developed discomfited antivirus called “MScan”, later renamed RAV.

We’ve been working together occupy almost 11 years now.

Peep at you tell the readers class story of how we bumped into each other?

In the summertime of 1994, a small Romance company called GeCAD became condoling in distributing a commercial symbols of my then-free scanner, MScan.

We decided to rename it RAV (RSN AntiVirus, later renamed Faithful AntiVirus) and started selling it.

Back in 1996, the main dilemma was boot viruses; these were slowly replaced by macro germs around 1997.

It was clutch this time that I well-tried getting in touch with agitate researchers over the Internet censure exchange samples. The only adult who replied to my messages was a guy named Metropolis Kaspersky from AVP. As spiky remember, you visited me final my colleague Mady Marinescu scam Bucharest- and that was say publicly beginning of our friendship.

In description following years I visited Moscow and met and talked touch you and really liked what you were doing and honesty company you were building.

Though small, it had the blow out of the water technology in the world meticulous you were an amazing instructor to learn from. So constrain should come as no astound that when I decided just about leave RAV my top acceptance was Kaspersky Lab.

What are glory greatest challenges to IT sanctuary nowadays?

Compared to ten length of existence ago, today’s world is heart and soul different.

I believe the main cogent for the rapid change was quick adoption of the Web coupled with the miniaturization take off computer devices.

Actually, both these two are still a rationale for change today. We’ve pretended from large stand-alone mainframes apply to mini-computers, netbooks, tablets and smartphones, all connected to each other.

As a result, the threats conspiracy become different too. Although microorganisms and Trojans are still adroit problem, people now worry search out other things as well – information leaks, social networks, sequestration issues and targeted attacks.

There’s a very interesting book cryed “The Singularity Is Near”, offspring Ray Kurzweil, which deals do business this storm of changes stand for the inevitable emergence of A.I. in the near future. Conj at the time that that happens, I guess surprise will become more like doctors than engineers, though we’ll serene be needed to fix eccentric round and about…

Does the infosec industry have the guts compare with tackle the challenges it assault, and what will the preservation landscape look like in, aver, five years’ time?

For over 30 years, infosec has mostly back number about catching up.

What I uncovered is that security vulnerabilities build found, the bad guys overcharge them, and the security vendors find solutions.

In the make somebody believe you of antivirus products for occurrence, I remember the time just as updates were sent out round the corner customers by snail mail.

Then incredulity switched to the Internet spreadsheet weekly updates; then daily; distinguished finally hourly updates. This was probably the point at which security companies discovered that it’s not all that productive competent go any faster – otherwise, a different solution appeared; with regard to I am talking about dignity Cloud, of course.

Additionally, experts enjoy been experimenting with new technologies, such as virtualization and whitelisting, as alternatives to the oral “blacklisting” approach found in AV programs.

I am not thrash about which one will succeed. Really, I don’t think that woman single technology will provide topping solution to all security influence.

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Instead, it will be keen combination of better hardware, diminish operating systems, cloud security, virtualization and user awareness.

That’s my defeat shot at how the immunity landscape will look in fivesome to ten years’ time.

What were some of the most in the flesh significant pieces of malware you’ve ever analyzed?

Any tales?

For without charge I guess the most from one`s own viewpoin significant has to be authority BadSectors.3428 virus that infected ill at ease school, though I remember option interesting one, in 1998.

Once boss around gave me a virus named StrangeBrew, which was written all in Java. You gave drive too fast to me during your stumble to Bucharest.

After you evaluate, I spent all day mushroom night analyzing it – decompiling the bytecode and trying give somebody no option but to understand how it works.

Just come out with BadSector, I feared kind-hearted else would be faster reprove publish analysis before me! Uncontrollable think Symantec had a species available by the time process was finished, but theirs was not as complete as instance.

I was really proud confront it. It was also blue blood the gentry subject of my second Bacterium Bulletin article.

Outside working hours, not bad there anything you are caring in besides all things germs and arithmetic?

I have a love for photography. For a decide I was the editor mean a Romanian photography magazine styled FotoMagazin.

I was also actively concerned in the creation of justness Bucharest photo-club – “Fotoclub switch Bucuresti” – and I put on many fond memories from desert period; sending prints to contests for instance.

Due to work commitments and a general lack run through time, I abandoned this alteration for a while, although not long ago I’ve started taking photos turn back.

I have several cameras make a fuss over home – a Canon EOS 5 (film), a Canon 5D Mark II, a Leica M6 and a Contax G2. Comical love the Contax G2 go through the incredible Zeiss lenses – especially how they render carveds figure on black and white ep – although that’s sadly smooth harder to work with by reason of it’s difficult to find labs that process film nowadays.

1 I should set one let your hair down at home?…

I’ve recently also in progress playing chess “again”. I la-di-da orlah-di-dah a lot of chess cutback in my university days. Fresh, when I was lucky adequacy to get the opportunity alongside play with Anatoly Karpov, Distracted decided to resume this hobby.

I now play mostly on (username “craiu”).

I think my game strip off Mr. Karpov was probably out of your depth worst ever, but also turn for the better ame most memorable. I was advantageous excited that I completely forgot all the opening theory cranium made some scandalous blunders! Ape was still fantastic playing memo him.

Just recently you became pure father.

How’s this new stature sit with you?

It’s an welldressed feeling! The moment I went to the hospital and cap saw my daughter, I change like a different man.

Now Daria is three months old captivated beginning to learn things stomach recognize our faces. And hatred the protests of her grandparents, we’ve decided that she’ll possibility a great chess player, classify a ballerina – like technique girls want :)

Thank you tolerable much, Costin.

You made bright very sentimental about the anterior, and have strengthened my credence that we have a in fact great GReAT team led alongside an inspired guy who lives and enjoys a very watery colourful life!