In this episode, we sit down with Nick Harbour, Blas Kojusner, Moritz Raabe, and Sam Kim — members of the FLARE Team and some of this year’s challenge authors — for a deep dive into the design and execution of FLARE-On 12. The team discusses the complexity and intent behind this year's challenges, including how Sam created his grueling final challenge, "10,000," which featured 10,000 individual DLLs to force competitors toward automation. Sam reveals that solving the final puzzle required dee...
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In this episode, we sit down with Nick Harbour, Blas Kojusner, Moritz Raabe, and Sam Kim — members of the FLARE Team and some of this year’s challenge authors — for a deep dive into the design and execution of FLARE-On 12. The team discusses the complexity and intent behind this year's challenges, including how Sam created his grueling final challenge, "10,000," which featured 10,000 individual DLLs to force competitors toward automation. Sam reveals that solving the final puzzle required dee...
In this episode, we sit down with Nick Harbour, Blas Kojusner, Moritz Raabe, and Sam Kim — members of the FLARE Team and some of this year’s challenge authors — for a deep dive into the design and execution of FLARE-On 12. The team discusses the complexity and intent behind this year's challenges, including how Sam created his grueling final challenge, "10,000," which featured 10,000 individual DLLs to force competitors toward automation. Sam reveals that solving the final puzzle required dee...
In this episode, we're asking the question: "What Lurks Beneath?" We're joined by Mark Overholser, a Technical Marketing Engineer at Corelight who's part of the team running the Black Hat Network Operations Center (NOC). We discuss the incident during Black Hat 2025 that introduced us and revealed the team's proactive approach to protecting every guest from the unseen threats hiding in the shadows. Mark gives us an insider’s look at the philosophy and challenges behind building a robust netwo...
In this episode of Behind the Binary, we're joined by renowned security researcher Hahna Kane Latonick for a deep dive into the powerful world where reverse engineering meets data science. Hahna shares her expertise on how techniques like supervised and unsupervised learning can be used to classify and predict security threats, and she explains how deep learning and neural networks are being applied to identifying code sharing and solving other classification problems. We also discuss how Gen...
In this episode, we're "Getting Ready for FLARE-On 12" with an inside look at the world-renowned reverse engineering competition. We’re joined by long-time FLARE-On host and challenge author Nick Harbour and regular challenge author Blas Kojusner for an in-depth conversation. We'll take a brief tour of FLARE-On history and discuss how it has grown into a must-do event for malware analysts and reverse engineers. We’ll also break down how the competition works, from the evolution of the unique ...
Web3 promised a new era of decentralized finance, but it has also created a new frontier for crime, with thefts and hacks far surpassing those in the traditional financial sector. In this episode, we sit down with experts Blas Kojusner, Robert Wallace, and Joseph Dobson to explore the Wild West of Web3 and decentralized finance (DeFi). But what is Web3? Our episode begins by taking a look at Web3 technologies like DeFi, blockchain, and smart contracts and explain how their very design makes t...
In this episode of Behind the Binary, we sit down with Dr. Jared DeMott to pull back the curtain on the world of cybersecurity. Formerly with the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC), Jared shares invaluable wisdom on managing bug bounty programs at scale and what truly makes a good bug report. We then pivot to explore his fascinating career journey, from his start with the NSA to leading teams at Microsoft. If that wasn’t enough, we’ll also dive into the unique challenges of a cyber sta...
Join us as we explore the world of reverse engineering with pioneer and CTO, Danny Quist. We'll examine the evolving landscape of binary analysis tools, the constant battle with malware obfuscation, and what it was like building one of the very first malware repositories for research. Plus, Danny shares unique insights on neuro-diversity and cognitive load – crucial topics that impact us all. That's just a glimpse of what's ahead. Danny Quist isn't just a leading mind in reverse engineering; ...
Ever wonder who names the world's most notorious APTs? In this episode, we sit down with Greg Sinclair, a reverse engineer from the FLARE team at Google. Greg not only hunts down sophisticated malware but also shares the behind the scenes story of how he discovered and named the North Korean APT, the Lazarus Group. He also discusses his innovative methods for identifying malware families through binary similarities. Get ready for an inside look at the challenges, triumphs, and the sheer passi...
What goes into creating effective software protections? This episode features a conversation with Tim Blazytko, Chief Scientist and Head of Engineering at Emproof, about the essential strategies for protecting software intellectual property. We cover the core concepts of code obfuscation and anti-reverse engineering and discuss practical, modern approaches to implementing these defenses effectively, while also shedding light on the significant challenges and trade-offs involved. Listeners wil...
In this episode, we’re joined by Thomas Roccia, a security researcher at Microsoft. Thomas discusses the growth of the Unprotect Project, how AI is changing security research, and the impact of data visualizations for conveying technical information. Drawing on his experience, Thomas offers a unique perspective on the intersection of open-source collaboration, artificial intelligence, and effective communication in the cybersecurity field.
This episode shines a light on abuse.ch, a vital non-profit project built by and for the global cybersecurity community. We chat with founder Roman Huessy about the collective effort behind tracking malware and botnets for over a decade. Discover the journey of maintaining a crucial shared resource—the technical challenges of hosting an open platform designed for community benefit, and how collaboration fuels the fight against threat actors. Roman shares insights into the future of community-...
In this episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Jordan Wiens, developer of the widely used Binary Ninja, and co-founder of Vector 35. Jordan brings his expertise as an avid CTF player to a discussion about the complexities of building a commercial reverse engineering platform, the importance of community growth, and the significant future role of AI. We also delve into the unique nature of having active adversaries inherent in cyber security work. Resources mentioned in this episode:...
In this episode, we're sitting down with Duncan Ogilvie, the creator of x64dbg! We'll dive deep into how one of the most popular Windows debuggers got its start, explore the real-world challenges of running a major open-source software project, and even get a glimpse into the future of this essential tool. You'll also learn how piano tuning almost stopped this project from existing! Resources mentioned in this episdoe: Discord community for x64dbg: discord.x64dbg.com
Saumil Shah, a security researcher, discusses his journey into reverse engineering, starting with his early interest in patching games and analyzing viruses. He emphasizes the evolution of reverse engineering tools and techniques, from manual approaches to AI-driven automation, and shares his insights on the future of the field and the importance of continuous learning. We also discuss his journey from veteran Black Hat instructor to starting his own security conference.
In this episode, we are joined by Stephen Eckels of the FLARE team at Google (Mandiant). Stephen discusses his journey into the field, starting with his early interest in video game modding and hacking. He shares his experience in discovering the Sunburst backdoor in the SolarWinds attack and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, community engagement, and the evolving landscape of reverse engineering tools and techniques.
Join us as I sit down with renowned threat hunter, Ryan Chapman. Ryan shares his incredible journey from a curious young hacker to a formidable force in cybersecurity. Discover how his early fascination with software cracking ignited a passion for reverse engineering, ultimately leading him to the front lines of cyber defense. In this conversation, Ryan delves into his early days learning reverse engineering and recounts some pivotal moments. He discusses the evolution of malware obfuscation ...
In this episode we’re sitting down with Victor Manuel Alvarez, the creator of YARA. YARA is one of the most powerful tools in cybersecurity. We discuss his early career, what motivated him to create YARA, and the role the community has played in its development. Plus, Victor shares his thoughts on the future of YARA and YARA-X, which is a ground-up rewrite of this venerable tool.
Nick Harbour discusses his career journey from his early days in the Air Force to his work at Mandiant. He shares insights into the evolution of malware, his contributions to the field of malware analysis, and the development of the Flare-On contest, a reverse engineering challenge.
In this episode, we sit down with Nick Harbour, Blas Kojusner, Moritz Raabe, and Sam Kim — members of the FLARE Team and some of this year’s challenge authors — for a deep dive into the design and execution of FLARE-On 12. The team discusses the complexity and intent behind this year's challenges, including how Sam created his grueling final challenge, "10,000," which featured 10,000 individual DLLs to force competitors toward automation. Sam reveals that solving the final puzzle required dee...
