London, UK - Righard J. Zwienenberg, a household name in the AV industry, is joining ESET as a Senior Research Fellow, a core member of the company’s Technology Division. He will be working alongside other senior researchers and leading technology experts at ESET Headquarters in Bratislava and in his home country of the Netherlands.

Righard Zwienenberg started researching computer viruses in 1988 after encountering virus problems on a system at the Technical University of Delft. Ever since then, he has studied virus behavior and presented solutions and detection schemes.

"Given that our software has been at the forefront of fighting malware for the past 25 years, innovation is an integral part of our world. Righard’s unparalleled experience is matched with his innovative thinking, I warmly welcome him on board,” adds ESET CEO Richard Marko.

“I analysed my first computer virus in 1987, while Righard encountered his first virus just a year afterwards. After more than two decades in the industry, Righard remains a shining star of this business and he will be a great addition to team ESET,” says ESET co-founder Miroslav Trnka.

Righard is excited about the new challenges at ESET. “I am happy to join a technologically driven company like ESET. This company has been one of the leaders in the industry since the very beginning. I am excited to work with the team on new challenges for the next decade,” says Righard Zwienenberg.

Righard started in 1995 at the Research and Development department of ESaSS BV – developers of ThunderBYTE – to reinforce the team and have some new challenges in life. In 1998, Norman Data Defense Systems acquired ESaSS and he joined the Norman Development team to work on the engine of Norman Virus Control. In 2005 Righard Zwienenberg took the role of Chief Research Officer at Norman. After Anti Malware Testing Standards Organisation (AMTSO) was formed, Righard was chosen as its president. He will now represent ESET within this organisation. He is currently serving as a Vice-President of AVAR and on the Technical Overview Board of the WildList.

Additionally, Righard is a member of CARO (Computer Antivirus Research Organisation) since late 1991. His interests are not limited to viruses but over the past years have broadened to include general security issues and encryption technologies. A few years ago he took up the art of magic again and playing the drums and is considering joining ESET-based rock band Lost Clusters that includes both Miroslav Trnka and Richard Marko.