Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab
Native name
Лаборатория Касперского
Laboratoriya Kasperskogo
Company typePrivate
IndustryComputer software[1]
FoundedMoscow, Russia
(1997; 27 years ago (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
RevenueIncrease€666 million (2023)[2]
Number of employees
4,000+ (2020)[3]
Websitewww.kaspersky.com

Kaspersky Lab (/kæˈspɜːrski/; Russian: Лаборатория Касперского, romanized: Laboratoriya 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 US 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]

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.[9] Various covert government-sponsored [by which government] cyber-espionage efforts were uncovered through their research. Kaspersky also publishes the annual Global IT Security Risks Survey.[10] As of 2014, Kaspersky's research hubs analyze more than 350,000 malware samples per day.[11]

The US government has alleged that Kaspersky has engaged with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB)—ties which the company has actively denied.[12][13][14] In 2017, it was alleged that hackers working for the Russian government stole confidential data from the home computer of a US National Security Agency contractor via Kaspersky antivirus software. In response to these and other allegations, Kaspersky began to solicit independent reviews and verification of its source code, and relocated core infrastructure and customer data from Russia to Switzerland. Multiple countries have banned or restricted their government agencies from using Kaspersky products, including Lithuania,[15] the Netherlands,[16] and the United States.[17] On 20 June 2024, the US announced that it would prohibit Kaspersky from selling or distributing updates to its software to US customers which caused the cybersecurity company to leave the US market the following month.[18][19]

  1. ^ a b "Laboratoriya Kasperskogo, AO – Company Overview". D&B Hoovers.
  2. ^ "Kaspersky reports 2023 financial results with 11% business growth". kaspersky.com.
  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. ^ "About Management Team". Kaspersky Lab. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "10 Stupid Moves That Threaten Your Company's Security". InformationWeek. April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  11. ^ Ashford, Warwick (April 24, 2016). "Kaspersky Lab advances expansion plans with London research centre". Computer Weekly. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  12. ^ Shaheen, Jeanne (September 4, 2017). "The Russian Company That Is a Danger to Our Security". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  13. ^ "Kaspersky under scrutiny after Bloomberg story claims close links to FSB". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  14. ^ Solon, Olivia (September 13, 2017). "US government bans agencies from using Kaspersky software over spying fears". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  15. ^ "Lithuania bans Kaspersky Lab software on sensitive computers". Reuters. December 21, 2017. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
  16. ^ "Dutch government to phase out use of Kaspersky anti-virus software". Reuters. May 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
  17. ^ Nakashima, Ellen; Gillum, Jack (September 13, 2017). "U.S. bans use of Kaspersky software in federal agencies amid concerns of Russian espionage". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  18. ^ "Kaspersky Labs: Russian antivirus firm leaving the US after ban". BBC. July 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "Russian antivirus giant Kaspersky leaves the US after two decades, slams the 'theoretical concerns' that led to it being banned". PCGamer. July 16, 2024.