Wednesday 24 September 17:00 - 17:30, Green room
Righard Zwienenberg (ESET), Jan Hruska (Virus Bulletin), Pavel Baudis (Gen Digital) & Tjark Auerbach (Lakeside Quants)
As four industry veterans, each with more than 35 years of experience, we find ourselves reflecting on the rich history of our field – a history that seems to be fading from memory. While many focus on the present, fewer people today seem to recognize or appreciate the stories and milestones that shaped the industry into what it is now.
This year's Virus Bulletin Conference in Berlin marks the 35th edition. Over the years, we've noticed a decline in attendance from the original VB "old-timers". Many have retired, moved into other industries, and sadly, some have passed away. As a result, not only the legacy of the Virus Bulletin Conference but also the broader history of our industry risks being forgotten. While some outdated attitudes and practices deserve to be left behind, there are valuable lessons, stories, and insights that must be preserved to inspire new ideas and approaches.
Together, the panel brings a treasure trove of experience and countless stories – both personal and professional – that deserve to be preserved and shared. These stories capture the essence of memorable events, humorous anecdotes, and reflections on the highs and lows of the industry, our companies, and our own journeys. They also offer a perspective on where we see things heading in the future.
We encourage you to participate in this session actively. Once the discussion is open to the floor, don't hesitate to ask about the events or stories from the past that you heard about, and you've always wanted to uncover the details of. Let's ensure that these moments of history are not lost but instead relived and celebrated.
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Righard Zwienenberg Zwienenberg started dealing with computer viruses in 1988 after encountering the first virus problems at the Technical University of Delft. His interest thus kindled and studied virus behaviour and presented solutions and detection schemes ever since. Initially starting as an independent consultant, in 1991 he co-founded CSE Ltd. In November 1995 Zwienenberg joined the R&D department of ThunderBYTE. In 1998 he joined the Norman Development team to work on the scanner engine. In 2005 Zwienenberg took the role of Chief Research Officer. After AMTSO was formed, Zwienenberg was elected as president, later he served as CTO and CEO. He serves on the board of AVAR and on the conference selection committee of Virus Bulletin. In 2012 Zwienenberg joined ESET as a senior Research Fellow. He was also the Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of IEEE ICSG. In 2018, Zwienenberg joined the Europol European Cyber Crime Center (EC3) Advisory Group as an ESET representative. He also runs his on computer security consultancy company (RIZSC). Zwienenberg has been a member of CARO since late 1991. He is a frequent speaker at conferences – among these Virus Bulletin, EICAR, AVAR, FIRST, APWG, RSA, InfoSec, SANS, CFET, ISOI, SANS Security Summits, IP Expo, Government Symposia, SCADA seminars, etc. – and general security seminars. His interests are not limited to malicious code but have broadened to include general cybersecurity issues and encryption technologies over the past years.
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Jan Hruska Jan Hruska has an M.A. from Downing College, Cambridge (engineering and computer science) and a D.Phil. from Magdalen College, Oxford (medical engineering). He co-founded Sophos in 1985 and was the technical director 1985-2000, joint CEO 2000-2005, NED 2005-2015, and Board observer 2015-2019. He is the author of several computer security books. He invests in startups and early stage companies, specialising in medical and information technology. His interests are scuba diving (BSAC), flying (PPL, IMC, Night), music and running.
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Pavel Baudis Pavel Baudis is one of Avast's co-founders and has served as one of GEN Digital's directors since the merge of Avast Software and Norton Lifelock in 2022. In 1988, Mr Baudis wrote the original software program from which Avast's current portfolio of security solutions has developed. Since 1991, Mr Baudis has played a leading role in the development of Avast's business. Prior to co-founding Avast, Mr Baudis was a graphics specialist at the Czech Computer Research Institute (VUMS). Mr Baudis holds an M.S. in information technology from the Prague School of Chemical Engineering. |
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