Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jul 5, 2013
We speak to VB2013 presenter Samir Mody about his research interests and what he aims to bring to VB2013.
The VB2013 conference takes place this autumn (2-4 October) in Berlin, with an exciting programme that covers many of today's most pertinent security-related topics.
In the build-up to the event we are running a series of blogs in which we introduce the speakers and find out a bit more about their research interests and what they aim to bring to the conference.
Today, we speak to Samir Mody (K7 Computing) who will speak at VB2013 on the subject of Android malware obfuscation.
Tell us a little bit about yourself - your job and your responsibilities.
"As Senior Manager of the Threat Control Lab, I run all aspects of K7's lab from setting roadmaps, to people management, to technical automation system design. When I have the time I still write generics for malware detection, submit papers for/present at conferences, and publish blogs. I also contribute to industry cooperation initiatives such as IEEE Taggant System, MUTE, and AMTSO."
Can you give us a brief outline of what you will be speaking about at VB2013?
"Android malware is extremely prevalent. It will only be a matter of time before Android malware obfuscation becomes routine, as it is in the Windows malware domain. It's a good idea to research the extent of current Android malware obfuscation and to explore the general scope for obfuscation such that we can attempt to predict what the future holds for camouflaging Android malware."
Why is your presentation particularly relevant to the security community?
"The security community is tasked with protecting the public - which is increasingly exposed to threats on mobile devices. We need to understand the scope for Android malware obfuscation so that we can prepare for detection strategies on resource-limited mobile devices, i.e. running on battery with fewer GBs of RAM."
What can delegates learn from your presentation?
"A somewhat rudimentary overview of current and potential future obfuscation techniques for Android malware, allowing those who are suitably inclined to further the research in this domain."
What other presentations are you looking forward to?
"In particular, I'm looking forward to 'Back channels and bitcoins' given by James Wyke, and 'In-memory ROP payload detection' presented by Justin Kim."
How many VB conferences have you been to?
"This will be my fourth - and my second time as a presenter, having collaborated on a paper with Igor Muttik and Peter Ferrie at VB2010."
Have you visited Berlin before? What are you looking forward to doing/seeing in the city this time?
"I visited Berlin once many years ago - when I enjoyed watching Hertha Berlin play Hamburg! This time, I'm looking forward to visitng Potsdam, a few km outside the city."
Samir Mody will present ''I am not the D'r.0,1d you are looking for': an analysis of Android malware obfuscation' at 09:30 on Thursday 3 October.
The full programme for VB2013, including abstracts for each paper, can be viewed here.
Read more about why you should attend VB2013 - and download our letter templates as a guide for justifying to your budget holder why you should attend VB2013.
VB2013 takes place 2-4 October 2013 in Berlin, Germany - online registration is now open - we'd love to see you there!
Posted on 5 July 2013 by Helen Martin
