inside the life of a malware reverse engineer

Malware sounds mysterious and intimidating, but at the end of the day it is just code written to do things it should not. In this episode of patchperfect, I sit down with ⁠Anuj Soni, reverse engineer, cybersecurity expert, ⁠Youtube creator⁠, and founder of The Malware Lab at Breakpoint Cybersecurity, to unpack how malware actually works and what really happens when systems get compromised.We walk through the difference between viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, and phishing in plain English, and why reverse engineering has become one of the most powerful tools in modern cyber defense. Anuj also explains how phishing can quietly turn into real compromise, how to spot early red flags on an infected device, and how threat intelligence is built from analyzing real attacks. We also talk career strategy, including how to prove your skills even when job listings feel impossible to qualify for.This is the patch:the difference between common types of malware and how they spreadwhat reverse engineering actually means and why it matters for defensehow phishing turns into real system compromisehow analysts use malware research to improve security productsAt its core, this episode is about making cyber threats feel understandable instead of scary, and showing how defenders stay one step ahead by learning directly from attackers.We close with a lifestyle segment on what a reverse engineer's everyday uniform actually looks like, from work from home staples to Anuj's go to Nike sneakers. Plus a quick headline on Project Concord⁠, South Korea's AI run data center, and how automated power and workload management could reshape global infrastructure.If you have ever wanted a clearer and more confident understanding of how cyber threats really operate, this episode will leave you informed and empowered.All views expressed are my own.