Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab
Company typePrivate
IndustryComputer software[1]
FoundedMoscow, Russia
(1997 (1997))
Founders
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia

Regional units: Dubai, UAE; Istanbul, Turkey; London, United Kingdom; Mexico City, Mexico; Midrand, South Africa; São Paulo, Brazil; Singapore; Woburn, Massachusetts, USA

Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Eugene Kaspersky (CEO)
ProductsCybersecurity software
ServicesComputer security
RevenueUS$704 million (2020)[2]
Number of employees
4,000+ (2020)[3]
Websitewww.kaspersky.com

Kaspersky Lab (/kæˈspɜːrski/; Russian: Лаборатория Касперского, romanizedLaboratoriya Kasperskogo) is a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider headquartered in Moscow, Russia,[1] and operated by a holding company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1997 by Eugene Kaspersky, Natalya Kaspersky and Alexey De-Monderik. Kaspersky Lab develops and sells antivirus, internet security, password management, endpoint security, and other cybersecurity products and services.[4]

Kaspersky expanded abroad from 2005 to 2010 and grew to $704 million in annual revenues by 2020,[5] up 8% from 2016, though annual revenues were down 8% in North America due to U.S. government security concerns.[6] As of 2016, the software has about 400 million users and has the largest market-share of cybersecurity software vendors in Europe. Kaspersky Lab ranks fourth in the global ranking of antivirus vendors by revenue.[7] It was the first Russian company to be included into the rating of the world's leading software companies, called the Software Top 100 (79th on the list, as of June 29, 2012). Kaspersky Lab is ranked 4th in Endpoint Security segment according to IDC data for 2010.[8] According to Gartner, Kaspersky Lab is currently the third largest vendor of consumer IT security software worldwide and the fifth largest vendor of Enterprise Endpoint Protection. In 2012 Kaspersky Lab was named a "Leader" in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms.[9]

The Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) has led the discovery of sophisticated espionage platforms conducted by nations, such as Equation Group and the Stuxnet worm.[10] Various covert government-sponsored cyber-espionage efforts were uncovered through their research. Kaspersky also publishes the annual Global IT Security Risks Survey.[11] As of 2014, Kaspersky's research hubs analyze more than 350,000 malware samples per day.[12]

Kaspersky has faced controversy over allegations that it has engaged with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB)—ties which the company has actively denied. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security banned Kaspersky products from all government departments on September 13, 2017. In October 2017, subsequent reports alleged that hackers working for the Russian government stole confidential data from the home computer of an American National Security Agency contractor via Kaspersky antivirus software. Kaspersky denied the allegations, reporting that the software had detected Equation Group malware samples which it uploaded to its servers for analysis in its normal course of operation.[13] The company has since announced commitments to increased accountability, such as soliciting independent reviews and verification of its software's source code, and announcing that it would migrate some of its core infrastructure for foreign customers from Russia to Switzerland. In November 2020, Kaspersky finished relocating the data of its customers from Russia to Switzerland.[14][15] The company has also opened multiple transparency centers in Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, Spain and Malaysia which allow state agencies, government experts and regulators to review its source code.[16][17]

  1. ^ a b "Laboratoriya Kasperskogo, AO – Company Overview". D&B Hoovers.
  2. ^ "Kaspersky reports financial results with stable business growth in 2020". Kaspersky. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "About Us". Kaspersky Lab. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference aodnjfaosjdpi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Kaspersky reports financial results with stable business growth in 2020". Kaspersky Lab. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  6. ^ Stubbs, Jack (January 19, 2018). "Kaspersky Lab 2017 revenue up 8 percent, North America sales fall". Reuters. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  7. ^ The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2010. The rating was published in the IDC report Worldwide IT Security Products 2011–2015 Forecast and 2010 Vendor Shares – December 2011. The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2010.
  8. ^ Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2010
  9. ^ Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms, Peter Firstbrook, Neil MacDonald, John Girard, January 16, 2012
  10. ^ "About Management Team". Kaspersky Lab. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "10 Stupid Moves That Threaten Your Company's Security". InformationWeek. April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  12. ^ Ashford, Warwick (April 24, 2016). "Kaspersky Lab advances expansion plans with London research centre". Computer Weekly. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  13. ^ Goodin, Dan (November 16, 2017). "Kaspersky: Yes, we obtained NSA secrets. No, we didn't help steal them". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Kaspersky completes its data-processing relocation to Switzerland and opens new Transparency Center in North America". Kaspersky Lab. November 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "Kaspersky shuts down data-processing activities in Russia". Computer Weekly. November 17, 2020.
  16. ^ "Kaspersky transparency center". Kaspersky Lab.
  17. ^ "Kaspersky opens doors to new Transparency Center in North America". Globe Newswire (Press release). December 13, 2021.

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