Aryeh Goretsky

Aryeh Goretsky

Distinguished Researcher


Highlights of your career? First employee at McAfee; Director at Tribal Voice, one of the first instant messaging companies; moderator at several popular online communities, including Lenovo, Lockergnome Help Forum, Scots Newsletter Forum and Wilders Security Forum; received Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and Neowin Most Valuable Contributor awards.

Position and history at ESET? Joined ESET in 2005 as Manager, Support; moved to Manager, Research in 2006; promoted to Distinguished Researcher in 2009.

What malware do you hate the most? Malware that alters, corrupts, destroys, modifies or steals a user’s data is on my "most-hated" list. To me, that’s the ultimate violation of a user’s computer.

Favorite activities? Keeping telephone scammers on the phone for as long as possible. Also, reading and sleeping.

What is your golden rule for cyberspace? Avoid the impulse to click on things.

When did you get your first computer and what kind was it? The first computer I used would probably have been a Commodore PET. I also used the Apple ][ and Commodore 64. This would have been the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Favorite computer game/activity? I spend most of my free computing time on forums helping answer other users’ technology questions. For computer games, I have been playing ARK: Survival Evolved and Borderlands 2 most recently. For RPG and board games, CaH, Pathfinder, Settlers of Catan, Starfinder and The Walking Dead.


6 articles by Aryeh Goretsky

What is

Understanding phishing: definition and tactics

Understanding phishing: definition and tactics

What is

Understanding phishing: definition and tactics

Phishing is a cybercrime where attackers pose as trusted sources to steal sensitive information like passwords or financial data. Though it thrives online today, phishing is rooted in age-old deception—now supercharged by technology.

Aryeh Goretsky15 Aug 202512 min. read


What is

Zero-Day vulnerabilities: The hidden threats lurking in your devices

Zero-Day vulnerabilities: The hidden threats lurking in your devices

What is

Zero-Day vulnerabilities: The hidden threats lurking in your devices

Zero-day vulnerabilities are among the most dangerous and elusive threats in the cybersecurity world. These flaws—unknown to developers and unpatched—can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access, steal sensitive data, or take control of systems.

Aryeh Goretsky07 Jul 202510 min. read


Privacy and Identity Protection

Getting rid of unwanted browser notifications

Getting rid of unwanted browser notifications

Privacy and Identity Protection

Getting rid of unwanted browser notifications

Popup notifications can be very annoying, but much like those on our phones, they can be easily disabled.

Aryeh Goretsky18 Aug 20235 min. read


Prevention and Awareness

Recoveries and backups

Recoveries and backups

Prevention and Awareness

Recoveries and backups

Losing important data can be critical, but backups can help prevent such disasters from happening.

Aryeh Goretsky11 Aug 202312 min. read


Prevention and Awareness

Reinstalling ESET for peak performance

Reinstalling ESET for peak performance

Prevention and Awareness

Reinstalling ESET for peak performance

Reinstalling a security product can be beneficial to keep your computers and security software in top condition.

Aryeh Goretsky04 Aug 20238 min. read


Threat landscape

Microsoft Exchange exploits – step one in ransomware chain

Microsoft Exchange exploits – step one in ransomware chain

Threat landscape

Microsoft Exchange exploits – step one in ransomware chain

Once attackers gain a foothold on web servers, there are all manner of nasty tricks and malware they can leverage immediately or put into play later – like ransomware.

Aryeh Goretsky29 Mar 20214 min. read