Cyber Risks · Cisco Talos

Researcher Spotlight: How Azim Khodjibaev went from hunting real-world threats to threats on the dark web

Summary: Azim Khodjibaev, a senior intelligence analyst on Cisco Talos' Threat Intelligence and Interdiction team, joined Talos in 2016 after years of U.S. government counterintelligence work, and one of his first tasks was translating the BlackEnergy attacks against Ukraine for Talos' detection team. He now spends most of his time in dark web forums, ransomware group chats and Russian-speaking sites, most recently researching the LockBit ransomware group and sharing updates publicly.

What you should know: Khodjibaev describes infiltrating spaces run by well-funded, highly skilled threat actors, where he says one slip-up could make him a personal target - and he admits there have been times he was 'legitimately scared' because he pushed the envelope too far.

Read the original at Cisco Talos ↗

Topics
Threat Actors & Nation-State
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