Cristian Souza
Incident Response Specialist, GERT
Cristian Souza is an Incident Response Specialist at Kaspersky’s Global Emergency Response Team (GERT). He holds a degree in Computer Networks and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of São Paulo (USP). Cristian’s primary responsibilities include conducting forensic analysis of critical incidents, identifying their root causes, and performing malware reverse engineering. An active contributor to the cyber security community, Cristian has published several research papers and holds certifications including CISSP, GCFA, GREM, and GXPN.Publications
Reports
The HoneyMyte APT evolves with a kernel-mode rootkit and a ToneShell backdoor
Kaspersky discloses a 2025 HoneyMyte (aka Mustang Panda or Bronze President) APT campaign, which uses a kernel-mode rootkit to deliver and protect a ToneShell backdoor.
Evasive Panda APT poisons DNS requests to deliver MgBot
Kaspersky GReAT experts analyze the Evasive Panda APT’s infection chain, including shellcode encrypted with DPAPI and RC5, as well as the MgBot implant.
Cloud Atlas activity in the first half of 2025: what changed
Kaspersky expert describes new malicious tools employed by the Cloud Atlas APT, including implants of their signature backdoors VBShower, VBCloud, PowerShower, and CloudAtlas.
Operation ForumTroll continues: Russian political scientists targeted using plagiarism reports
Kaspersky’s GReAT experts have uncovered a new wave of cyberattacks by the ForumTroll APT group, targeting Russian political scientists and delivering the Tuoni framework to their devices.
