Teaching Cyber Threat Intelligence and Dark Web Analysis at the University of Rome Tor Vergata

As part of the Master in Cybersecurity and Privacy at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, I deliver advanced modules on Cyber Threat Intelligence, the dark web ecosystem, and ransomware operations.

Educational Scope

The lectures are designed for a mixed audience of IT professionals, legal experts, public-sector personnel, and cybersecurity practitioners. The goal is to bridge technical depth with intelligence methodology, showing how threat data can be collected, validated, interpreted, and translated into operational decisions.

The teaching program covers:

• CTI lifecycle and intelligence types;
• indicator taxonomy and actor profiling;
• underground economy and ransomware groups;
• OSINT and dark web investigation methods;
• use of tools such as Shodan, IntelX, Have I Been Pwned, VirusTotal, and related platforms;
• threat actor tracking and infrastructure mapping.

The course is structured around real-world scenarios and practical demonstrations, helping students understand how cybercriminal activity can be monitored and analyzed responsibly.

Focus Topics

Specific attention is given to:

• Ransomware-as-a-Service models;
• Initial Access Brokers and affiliate networks;
• data leak sites and extortion mechanisms;
• cryptocurrency flows and laundering patterns;
• hands-on analysis of dark web and OSINT sources.

Integration with Research

These teaching activities are connected to my PhD research at the University of Sannio, which focuses on ransomware ecosystems, attacker-centric threat intelligence, threat intelligence platforms, and data-driven analysis of cybercriminal behavior.

This connection between academic research and classroom activity allows students to engage with current methods, datasets, and analytical challenges rather than relying only on abstract theory.

Professional Engagement

Alongside my academic activity, I serve as Chief Information Security Officer at Würth Italia and Director of the DarkLab CTI group at Red Hot Cyber.

This professional background allows me to bring field experience into the classroom and to discuss CTI not only as a research topic, but also as an operational capability for modern organizations.

Closing Note

The Master at Tor Vergata represents an important academic initiative for the Italian cybersecurity community. Contributing to this program is an opportunity to help students and professionals develop a concrete understanding of modern cyber threats and intelligence-driven defense.