See you all at my keynote, "Fantastic Malmons and How to Analyze Them", on Sep 10 09:45 at @BSidesBelfast 2026! 🔬 bsidesbelfast.org/2026/keyno…

The blue MZ Header Hex Dump bandana I always wear has become a symbol of my journey in malware analysis. Back when I was a CS student at @waseda_univ, I specialized in computer architecture, chip design, and compiler optimization, which gave me a strong foundation in assembly: ken.ieice.org/ken/download/2… I then got into CTFs through my university’s cybersecurity club, where I learned practical reverse engineering and wrote many CTF write-ups: medium.com/@LambdaMamba/ctf-… One day, I accidentally got malware on my own device, so I applied my reverse engineering and writing skills to analyze it: systemweakness.com/a-strange… People liked the casual, accessible style, so I started writing malware analysis articles professionally, via @anyrun_app: any.run/cybersecurity-blog/r… From there, my conference career grew quickly. I began publishing malware research at @virusbtn: virusbulletin.com/conference… I also started speaking at conferences (lambdamamba.com/events.html), like @BSidesVancouver, @BSidesLondon, @BSidesDublin, @BSidesExeter, @BrumBsides, @avar_asia and more. Around the same time, I gathered friends from around the world and we founded what would become @MalwareVillage. That was also when @Malmons_World (malmons.world), was born. It started with GaboonGrabber Malmons: youtube.com/watch?v=VS4MI6UL… I originally drew Malmons as a way to decompress from the pressure of research and conference work. Then, in 2024, our @DEFCON contest CFP, Malware Contests: MARC I & BOMBE, was accepted (forum.defcon.org/node/250058) For the team, I designed a blue bandana based on an MZ header hex dump. I’ve been wearing the same one ever since. Over time, Malware Contests grew into the internationally recognized @MalwareVillage, and through that experience I got to interact with some of the world’s best malware analysts. That gave me a much broader view of the field, technically, culturally, and historically. Eventually, I wanted to bring my own philosophy of malware analysis into the world: studying malware almost like a Victorian-era naturalist studying strange organisms in the wild. That is how my @NoStarch book, "The (Un)Natural History of Malware", came to be. It’s still a work in progress, with the trade edition planned for 2027: nostarch.com/unnatural-histo… And the blue bandana that has followed me throughout this journey is now finally available on Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/lam…

Excited to announce that I'll be speaking at @GISECGlobal on 16 - 18 September 2026! 📍 Dubai Expo Centre (DEC), Expo City Dubai 📅 16 - 18 September 2026 🔗 Link: p-2.link/p/7q8RPVVFjnz See you at #GISECGLOBAL!