Евгений Касперский: Ресейлік киберқауіпсіздік сарабының өмірбаяны

Russian specialist in the information security field

Yevgeny Valentinovich Kaspersky (Russian: Евгений Валентинович Касперский; born 4 October 1965) is a Russian cybersecurity expert and the CEO of Kaspersky Lab, an IT security company with 4,000 employees. He co founded Kaspersky Lab in 1997 and helped identify instances of government sponsored cyberwarfare as the head of research. He has been an advocate for an international treaty prohibiting cyberwarfare. Kaspersky graduated from The Technical Faculty of the KGB Higher School in 1987 with a degree in mathematical engineering and computer technology. His interest in IT security began when his work computer was infected with the Cascade virus in 1989 and he developed a program to remove it. Kaspersky helped grow Kaspersky Lab through security research and salesmanship. He became the CEO in 2007 and remains so as of 2024.

Kaspersky was born on 4 October 1965 As a child he developed an early interest in math and technology. He spent his free time reading math books and won second place in a math competition at age 14. He was also a member of the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. At the age of 16, Kaspersky entered a five year program with The Technical Faculty of the KGB Higher School, which prepared intelligence officers for the Russian military and KGB. He studied how the virus worked Kaspersky Lab was founded three years later by Kaspersky, his wife and Kaspersky's friend Alexey De Monderik. Natalya, who pushed Eugene to start the company, was the CEO, while Eugene was the head of research.

As the head of research, He hired the researcher that identified the Stuxnet worm, which is believed to be the first instance of state sponsored cyberweapon. Afterwards, the company exposed the Flame virus at the request of the International Telecommunication Union. The virus was believed to have been used for cyber espionage in Middle Eastern countries. In 2015 Kaspersky and Kaspersky Lab discovered a group of hackers known as Carbanak that were stealing money from banks. They also exposed Equation Group, which developed advanced spyware for monitoring computer use and was believed to be affiliated with the National Security Agency in the U. S. In early 2009, CRN said his personality contributed to the company's growth from "relative obscurity to now nipping at the heels of its larger, better known rivals." At the time, Kaspersky Lab was the fourth largest endpoint security company. It introduced new products for the enterprise market and expanded its channel programs. Kaspersky Lab has defended itself against allegedly frivolous patent claims more aggressively than most IT companies. In 2012, it was the only one of 35 firms named in a suit by patent troll Information Protection and Authentication (IPAC) to take the case to court, rather than pay a fee. The case was ruled in Kaspersky's favor. Also in 2012, another company, Lodsys, sued Kaspersky and 54 other companies for patent infringement, and that case also resulted in the claimant dropping the case against Kaspersky. According to an article in TechWorld, the company's aversion to settling these claims is most likely because Eugene "just hates" patent trolls. In his blog he called them "parasites" and "IT racketeers." Kaspersky himself is the co author of several patents, including one for a constraint and attribute based security system for controlling software component interaction. As of 2015, Kaspersky Lab employed more than 2,800 people. He has warned about the possibility of cyberwarfare that targets critical infrastructure. He speaks at conferences advocating for an international cyberwarfare treaty,

Many organizations have been considering reducing privacy to improve security as a result of Kaspersky's arguments.

Kaspersky's prior work for the Russian military and his education at a KGB sponsored technical college has led to controversy about whether he uses his position to advance Russian government interests and intelligence efforts. Wired said Kaspersky's critics accuse him of using the company to spy on users for Russian intelligence. Russian telecommunications companies for example are required by federal law in Russia to cooperate with the government's military and spy operations if asked. Kaspersky said his company has never been asked to tamper with its software for espionage According to Wired, Kaspersky staffers argue "not unconvincingly" that spying on users would hurt its business and its relationship with the Russian FSB, the KGB's successor, is limited. NPR journalists also said it was unlikely Kaspersky was using its software for espionage, because it would be risky for the company's business, but said Kaspersky showed an unusual disinterest in Russia based cybercrime. In August 2015, Bloomberg reported that Kaspersky Lab changed course in 2012. According to the publication, "high level managers have left or been fired, their jobs often filled by people with closer ties to Russia’s military or intelligence services. Some of these people actively aid criminal investigations by the FSB using data from some of the 400 million customers". Bloomberg and The New York Times According to News & Observer, Kaspersky "published a mammoth response, tearing down Bloomberg's accusations and accusing them of throwing facts out the window for the sake of a juicy anti Russian narrative." Competitor FireEye said many U. S. IT companies also have executives that formerly worked for government military and intelligence agencies. NPR reported that Kaspersky has been doing an increasing amount of business with Russian cybersecurity agencies to catch cybercriminals. Kaspersky confirmed that Russian agencies are among its government customers. ABC reported that the Department of Homeland Security had issued a secret report in February on possible connections between Kaspersky Lab and Russian intelligence, and that the FBI was currently investigating the matter. According to Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) director Vincent Stewart, his agency is "tracking Kaspersky and their software." In a press release, Eugene Kaspersky denied that his software is currently, or could be, used for such purposes, stating that "As a private company, Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyber espionage efforts." He also stated that the US does not want to use his company's software for political reasons,

Kaspersky is one of many Russian "oligarchs" named in the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, CAATSA, signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2017.

Kaspersky lives in Moscow, Russia with his wife and five children. He and his first wife were divorced in 1998. Kaspersky worked with a friend at the FSB and Russian police to trace the ransomer's phone call. They set up a trap for the ransomers, where they rescued his son and arrested many of the kidnappers. The incident had an influence on Kaspersky's sense of personal security. He now travels with a bodyguard and security detail. His net worth is about $1 billion. He sponsors various "quirky or scientific projects" or archaeological excavations in Akrotiri (prehistoric city). Kaspersky owns a BMW M3. He supports university projects and competitions in the IT security field.