Just days ago, we looked at how you can jump-start your career in the broader field of cybersecurity, leveraging insights from ESET security researchers with decades of experience under their belts. Since today is Antimalware Day, a day when we recognize the work of security professionals, we thought it apt to ask a trio of ESET malware researchers to ‘pick up the baton’ and share their thoughts and experiences about what their daily tasks involve.

Perhaps solving riddles is your thing? Have an inquisitive mind that thrives on new knowledge? Or you’re already contemplating carving out a career in the fight against cybercrime, but aren’t quite sure if you’re cut out for it? Or ‘just’ appreciate the fine work of malware researchers and wonder why they chose this career path?

Whatever the reason (perhaps a little bit of everything?), you need look no further than our Q&A with ESET’s Lukas Stefanko, Fernando Tavella and Matías Porolli to learn what the job of an expert in deconstructing malicious software is like.

First off, how did you get into malware analysis/research?

Lukas: It all started when I became more familiar with software reverse engineering and tried to understand how a piece of software works and behaves without having access to its source code. From there, curiosity took me further to gain an understanding how malicious software works, what its purpose is, how it communicates, and so on. It was a new experience that I hugely enjoyed – and still do!

Fernando: Most of all, I always liked the research part, whether it was focused on security or other activities. But after I actually started to work in security I realized that I liked reverse engineering best. This was because of its complexity and general allure, and so I started participating in capture-the-flag competitions (CTFs) and dived into various related topics. At one point, I came across a piece of malware and realized just how interesting it is…