Research
Academic Focus
My research focuses on the empirical study of Cyber Threat Intelligence, with particular attention to the ransomware ecosystem, dark web dynamics, and the observable behavior of cybercriminal actors.
I do not treat cyber threats as isolated technical incidents. Instead, I study them as socio-technical ecosystems shaped by infrastructure, incentives, adaptation, and recurring behavioral patterns.
Ph.D. Research: The Ransomware Economy
I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Cyber Threat Intelligence at the University of Sannio, with expected completion in 2026.
Thesis: Ecosystem Dynamics and Structural Resilience of the Ransomware Economy: A Longitudinal Multi-Method Analysis of the Observable Disclosure Surface (2020-2025).
Key research areas include:
- Longitudinal analysis of ransomware groups, threat actor behavior, and attack pattern evolution.
- Study of extortion models and cybercriminal business dynamics.
- Development of data-driven and statistical models for threat detection, attribution support, and risk assessment.
- Construction and analysis of large-scale datasets for threat actor profiling and intelligence correlation.
Applied Engineering & Threat Intelligence Platforms
A central part of my research is the translation of analytical models into operational tools.
- Deepye Project: Designed and developed a microservices-based Threat Intelligence Platform for attack surface analysis, integrating OSINT and CLOSINT sources.
- Academic Supervision: Co-supervision of Master’s theses focused on CTI platform development, dark web monitoring for data leak detection, and adversary simulation frameworks.