In the midst of a historic rainstorm that caused unprecedented flooding in desert Dubai on April 16, Russian cybersecurity expert Eugene Kaspersky (1965, Novorossiysk) was among the hundreds of people from all over the world trying to land in the city. Despite facing turbulence during his flight from Moscow and having to wait for hours on the plane before he could leave the airport, Kaspersky remained undeterred.
Kaspersky’s company, Kaspersky, has been under scrutiny in recent years due to allegations about its relationship with the Russian government. In fact, in 2017 the United States vetoed the use of software from Kaspersky to government agencies for fear of Russian espionage. Now, it is preparing to go further and issue an order that would prevent American companies and citizens from using its software due to national security concerns.
The CEO of Kaspersky defends his company’s reputation by boasting that it has technologies “that recognize malware (malicious software) better than others: we do it in real time and send what we capture on the Internet to the rest of the community.” Failure to do so, he insists, could reduce the quality of protection and expose users to greater risk.
However, suspicion surrounding Kaspersky extends beyond just Russia. In 2022, Germany’s Federal Cyber Security Authority urged companies and users to avoid using Kaspersky’s programs due to a considerable risk of a successful cyber attack. The CEO of Kaspersky denies these claims and insists that his company is an independent cybersecurity firm that operates with transparency.
When asked about his position on war in Ukraine and his relationship with the Russian government, Kasperski maintains that he is not affiliated with any political or military groups. He believes that war is not good for anyone and has had a negative impact on businesses worldwide. However, he notes that some countries have not been affected by this conflict as negatively as others. For example, Spain remains in business with Kasperski despite other countries like Germany taking action against them
