Evgeny Kaspersky is a Russian computer genius, brand man, billionaire, programmer, expert in information security, who created the international company Kaspersky Lab, which deals with IT security, has more than 30 regional representatives and sells software in more than 200 countries.
Evgeniy is the main owner and director of the Laboratory, a member of the Organization of Computer Virus Researchers. Kaspersky regularly publishes articles and reviews about viruses.
Evgeny Valentinovich Kaspersky was born in Novorossiysk on October 4, 1965. Evgeniy was the only child in the family. The boy's parents had nothing to do with programming. His father worked as a design engineer at cement plants, his mother as a historian-archivist.
Evgeniy studied at a school in the city of Dolgoprudny near Moscow. Since childhood, Evgeniy showed interest in mathematics. This interest was happily supported by the boy’s mother, buying special books for the child. In addition, Kaspersky attended a special course in mathematics.
Studying at school and self-education gave brilliant results in 1980. Evgeniy wins the Mathematical Olympiad, and the boy is enrolled in the Physics and Mathematics Boarding School named after A.N. Kolmogorov at Moscow State University.
In 1987, the guy graduated from the KGB Higher School and received a degree in mathematical engineering.
Programming
Having become proficient in mathematical science, cryptography and computer technology, in the same 1987 Evgeniy Kaspersky got a job at a multidisciplinary research institute under the USSR Ministry of Defense. In this job, a programmer studies and analyzes computer viruses.
Kaspersky’s success story was not overnight; over the course of ten years, the programmer established his name with projects in the field of anti-virus OS protection before he organized his own business.
In 1989, Evgeniy Valentinovich developed a utility to treat a system from the Cascade virus.
The process of creating utilities interested the programmer, and Evgeniy delved into the work. Already in 1991, Kaspersky was busy at the Center information technologies KAMI. There, Kaspersky heads a group of highly specialized specialists who are developing “medicines” for computer viruses.
In 1992, programmers led by Evgeniy Valentinovich presented the first product - AVP in version 1.0. The test laboratory of the university in Hamburg confirms the quality of the program in 1994. This is how the Kaspersky product earns its first international popularity. Foreign companies became interested in the group’s work.
"Kaspersky Lab"
In 1997, a Russian programmer takes a big step towards success - Kaspersky Lab appears. Evgeniy Valentinovich and his colleagues are creating a company. Kaspersky did not want to highlight his name, but his wife insisted on it. Natalya Kasperskaya was also among the co-founders of the new company.
Evgeny Kaspersky founded Kaspersky Lab
In the same year, an Internet portal launched by Kaspersky Lab appeared - SecureList, which is an encyclopedia of viruses, vulnerabilities, errors and malicious objects. The portal is periodically updated, has Russian and English pages, develops and operates according to currently.
In 2000, the brainchild of the AVP company took on the name of its creator. The product is still known by this name - “Kaspersky Anti-Virus”. Until 2007, Evgeniy Valentinovich led the research, and then served as general director. Today the main office of the Laboratory is located in St. Petersburg.
Kaspersky is one of the world's most famous experts in the field of information security and anti-virus protection.
World recognition
In 2012, Kaspersky rightfully takes pride of place in the ranking of the most influential thinkers of the year according to Foreign Policy. Oddly enough, among the Russian names on the list, the businessman is second only to the Pussy Riot group.
But the American Wired assigns Kaspersky number 8 in the top ten most dangerous people in the world. There is no noise without fire, because Kaspersky contributed to the exposure and neutralization of the American cyber espionage program in the Middle East.
Kaspersky's success and influence have not gone unnoticed by spiteful critics and Internet trolls. In some sources, the programmer was declared an FSB general working in a front IT organization engaged in collecting personal information of users, in others - a hacker who wrote viruses and engaged in cyber terrorism in order to create demand for the Laboratory’s security products.
Kaspersky Lab, according to the creators, does not use money from outside investors, the company is independent, and its own profit turnover is sufficient for the development of the Laboratory. The company's press center calls rumors about connections with intelligence agencies slander. Kaspersky himself does not comment on rumors, does not advertise his party affiliation and relationships with authorities, and sees one of his missions as follows: he is a warrior on the front line in a cyber war, where computer viruses play a destructive role.
Kaspersky also advocates “transparency” on the Internet, the programmer is against anonymity and believes that if each user is identified, the “web” would become safer. Kaspersky believes that future Internet users should receive a special passport and pass an exam similar to the driver's license exam.
Evgeny Kaspersky proposed the concept of dividing the Internet into zones
Evgeniy simultaneously supports freedom of speech. Kaspersky proposes a new concept of dividing the Internet into three zones: in the “red” zone, which contains online banking, government services and even voting in elections online, Internet passports are required; in the “yellow” zone associated with age restrictions, according to Kaspersky’s idea, only authorization for parental control is required; in the “green” zone - blogs, news sites, social networks and other resources that ensure freedom of speech - no authorization is required.
Personal life
Evgeniy Valentinovich was married 2 times. The first wife is Natalya Kasperskaya, co-founder of the Laboratory. The couple divorced in 1998. According to Kaspersky, soon after the divorce, the programmer married a Chinese woman. After the first marriage, two sons, Maxim and Ivan, remained; the children grew up in a bilingual environment and speak fluent Russian and Chinese. The eldest son Maxim was not inspired by his father’s work, choosing the Faculty of Geography at Moscow State University.
In 2011, the youngest son Ivan Kaspersky became a victim of the family's wealth - the boy was kidnapped near the metro. The criminals demanded 3 million rubles for the boy’s life. The kidnapping ended with the capture of the attackers thanks to a special operation by the MUR and the task force.
As for Kaspersky’s ex-wife, the former spouses communicate and even sometimes vacation together, each with a new family.
Among Evgeniy Valentinovich's hobbies are skiing, hiking, kayaking, photography and racing. The programmer loves extreme sports, despite his age and unathletic physique. Kaspersky follows Formula 1 racing and even collaborates with Ferrari.
His passion for skiing led to Kaspersky meeting his second wife.
Evgeny Kaspersky is fond of Formula 1 racing
The wife works at the Russian Language Institute named after. Kaspersky characterizes his wife as smart and delicate. Evgeny generally values intelligence and character traits such as gentleness in women.
The hobby of the businessman and developer is the “Kaspersky Blog”, in which Evgeniy Valentinovich talks about cybersecurity and the work of the company. The blog also contains photographs of beautiful places, interesting events from the life of this integral, self-confident person. In addition to the text blog, Evgeniy maintains an account in Instagram.
State
Kaspersky's fortune in 2016 was estimated at $1.1 billion. In the list of the richest businessmen in Russia, according to the Forbes rating, Kaspersky ranks 86th.
Kaspersky's company cooperates with law enforcement agencies. In June 2016, Kaspersky Lab played a key role in the search for 50 hackers from the Lurk group.
In December 2016, an investigation began under the article of “high treason” against Kaspersky Lab employee Ruslan Stoyanov and the head of the unit of the Information Security Center of the FSB of the Russian Federation Sergei Mikhailov. The Laboratory does not deny the arrest of the employee, but emphasizes to the media that the charges relate to the period when Stoyanov was not yet working at the company. In 2017, journalists received information that the case was fabricated due to an internal conflict in the intelligence services.
At the end of 2016, Evgeny Kaspersky filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft with the authorities of the European Union and Russia, and called the company’s behavior lawlessness on his personal blog. The cause of the conflict between the two companies was a change in Microsoft's approach to third-party software. New operating system replaces programs installed by the user, including antiviruses, with analogues produced by Microsoft. Kaspersky provided evidence that the proposed analogues in the field of information security are much worse than the Laboratory’s products, which means that the user is in danger due to the fault of Microsoft.
Evgeniy Valentinovich Kaspersky is a programmer, one of the world's best anti-malware specialists software, leading developer and shareholder of the international group of companies Kaspersky Lab.
Childhood, youth
The future computer genius was born on October 4, 1965 in Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Territory). Evgeniy was the only child in the family. During his school years, he was interested in solving complex problems from mathematical magazines. He attended the physics and mathematics school organized at MIPT. He spent the last 2 years of schooling in physics and mathematics boarding school No. 18, operating at Moscow State University. In 1982, he entered the Institute of Cryptography, Communications and Informatics at the Higher Red Banner School of the KGB, where he studied as a mathematics engineer. Graduated in 1987.
Professional activity
1989 - began to study the phenomenon of computer viruses, discovering the “Cascade 1704” virus on his computer. Until 1991, Evgeny Kaspersky worked at the research institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense, where he was assigned. It was then that Kaspersky created his first computer antidote. After that, he began collecting malware, while simultaneously creating healing modules for them. Later, this collection became the basis of the Kaspersky Anti-Virus database. At the moment it has about 4 million records.
1991-1997 – works at the Scientific and Technical Center “KAMI”, where he participates in the development of the anti-virus project “AVP”. In 1994, AVP was tested by the laboratory of the University of Hamburg. The test results showed that this program was in many ways superior to the antiviruses known at that time.
1997 – together with a group of like-minded people, he creates Kaspersky Lab. According to him, the Laboratory still does not have investors and operates at the expense of its own resources. At the same time, all profits are invested in further development. Initially, Kaspersky Lab employed 6 people, over time it turned into an international group of companies with the main office in Moscow, a staff of several hundred people and 10 foreign representative offices.
1999 – the first foreign representative office of Kaspersky Labs UK was opened in Cambridge.
2007 – Evgeniy Valentinovich holds the post of CEO of Kaspersky Lab (initially he served as head of anti-virus research). At the same time, Kaspersky took part in the filming of the series “Network,” which tells the story of Russian hackers.
2009 – received the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology. By decree of D. Medvedev, he is a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.
2010 - Member of the Advisory Scientific Council of the Skolkovo Foundation. Named "Executive of the Year" by SC Magazine Europe.
2012 – ranked 40th on the list of the most influential thinkers of the year according to Foreign Policy. At the same time, the American magazine Wired places Kaspersky in 8th position on the list of the most dangerous people in the world. This happened due to the fact that Evgeny Kaspersky managed to expose American cyber weapons created for espionage in the Middle East.
Kaspersky is the author of many articles and reviews on computer virology. In addition, he regularly speaks at specialized conferences and seminars, both Russian and foreign. Kaspersky proposes to eliminate the anonymity of the Internet. In his opinion, the World Wide Web will become less vulnerable when each user is accurately identified. In particular, he calls for allowing Internet connection only after passing an exam, as a result of which the user must receive a special passport. In addition, Kaspersky believes that a special Internet police should be created to control the legality of the actions of network users.
According to Forbes, Kaspersky ranks 139th in the list of “Russia’s Richest Businessmen” for 2012. His fortune is $0.7 billion.
1965 (54 years old)Education
Evgeny Kaspersky was born in 1965, the only child in the family. He began his studies at secondary school No. 3 named after Gastello in the town of Dolgoprudny near Moscow. While still at school, Kaspersky began an in-depth study of mathematics as part of a special course. After winning the Mathematical Olympiad in 1980, he was enrolled in a physics and mathematics school, where he continued an in-depth study of these subjects, and in 1982 he graduated from the physics and mathematics boarding school No. 18 named after A. N. Kolmogorov at Moscow State University.
In 1987, he graduated from the 4th (technical) faculty of the KGB Higher School (currently the faculty is known as the Institute of Cryptography, Communications and Informatics of the Academy of the FSB of Russia) in Moscow, where he studied mathematics, cryptography and computer technology, and received the specialty “mathematical engineer” "
Career
In 1987, Evgeny Kaspersky began working at a multidisciplinary research institute under the USSR Ministry of Defense. It was here that he began studying computer viruses after encountering the Cascade virus in 1989. After analyzing the virus code, Evgeniy developed a special utility to treat it and became interested in this topic.
In 1991, Evgeny Kaspersky began working at the KAMI Information Technology Center, where he headed a small group of specialists developing anti-virus solutions.
In November 1992, the group released its first full-fledged product - AVP 1.0. In 1994, he won a comparative test conducted by the test laboratory of the University of Hamburg. This provided the product with international fame, and developers began to license their technologies to foreign IT companies.
In 1997, Kaspersky and his colleagues decided to create their own company, acting as co-founders of Kaspersky Lab. Evgeniy did not want his last name to appear in the name of the company, but he was convinced by Natalya Kasperskaya, Evgeniy’s wife at that time, who was also one of the co-founders of the Laboratory. In November 2000, the AVP product was renamed Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
Kaspersky led antivirus research at the company from its founding until 2007, when he took over as CEO of Kaspersky Lab.
Kaspersky's office is located in a new business center on Leningradskoye Shosse. Evgeny Kaspersky's office is located on the same floor with the company's leading developers and analysts, next to Kaspersky Lab's Global Research Center (GReAT). Evgeniy is a co-author of several patents in the field of information security, including a patent for a restrictive attribute security system that controls the interaction of software components. This patent was issued for the technology underlying the secure operating system currently being developed by Kaspersky Lab.
Today, Kaspersky is one of the world's leading experts in the field of virus protection. He is the author of a large number of articles and reviews on the problem of computer virology, and regularly speaks at specialized seminars and conferences in Russia and abroad. Kaspersky is a member of the Computer Virus Research Organization (CARO), which brings together experts in the field.
Kaspersky is the founder of the Virus Bulletin conference, which has been held annually by the antivirus industry since 2001.
In December 2012, the American magazine Wired placed Kaspersky in 8th place on a list of the 15 most dangerous people in the world. Kaspersky was awarded this place for exposing American cyber weapons created for espionage in the Middle East and disrupting the Iranian nuclear program.
Evgeniy feels like a man who is on the front line in the war against cybercriminals. The “laboratory,” according to Kaspersky, has no investors, operates exclusively at the expense of its own resources, and invests all profits in further development.
In March 2015, Bloomberg published material from which it follows that since 2012, Kaspersky’s ties with Russian intelligence services have sharply intensified, and key management positions in the Laboratory have been filled with “ people with close ties to Russian military or intelligence agencies" According to the CEO of Kaspersky Lab, the agency failed to “dig up” anything: one-third of the Bloomberg article consists of “purely reliable, public facts” contained in reports and other public documents of the company.
Views on cybersecurity
Evgeny Kaspersky has been openly expressing concerns for several years about the threat of a cyber attack on critical infrastructure, which could lead to catastrophic consequences. He supports the idea of an agreement on the non-proliferation of cyber weapons, believing that the world community must put an end to the cyber arms race.
During his travels around the world, Evgeniy Kaspersky regularly gives reports on the dangers of cyber warfare and the need to counter the escalation of cyber threats at the global level. He views cybersecurity education as key to successfully combating cyber threats. This applies to both ordinary users and IT security specialists, who often lack qualifications. Evgeniy also actively supports the idea of universal standardization and the adoption of uniform policies in the field of cybersecurity, as well as the idea of cooperation between government agencies and companies operating in the IT security industry.
“Private companies - especially in the IT and security-related industries, as well as in some strategically important industries for which IT security is a top priority - have accumulated a wealth of practical experience in combating cyber threats that the government could use extremely successfully.”
Evgeny Kaspersky supports the idea of using Internet passports when performing critical operations in global network: when voting in elections, working in online banking systems, receiving public services etc.
“It seems to me that the Internet space needs to be divided into three zones. “Red” zone - for those processes where safety is critical; here the use of an Internet passport is mandatory. In the “yellow” zone, authorization requirements are lower - it is necessary, for example, to verify the age of the buyer in online stores selling alcohol or offering products for adults. And finally, the “green” zone: blogs, social media, news sites, chat rooms - everything that has to do with freedom of speech. No authorization is required here."Evgeniy Kaspersky
According to Kaspersky, the main vulnerability of the Internet is its anonymity. Therefore, to do world wide web less vulnerable, each user must be accurately identified. Kaspersky offers to allow connection to the network only after receiving a special passport and passing an exam, similar to a driver’s license. And to monitor compliance with the law on the Internet, a special Internet police (Internet Interpol) should be created. “Everyone is required to have an ID or an Internet passport,” Evgeny Kaspersky told ZDNet Asia while attending an Interpol conference in Singapore. - The Internet was originally developed not for public use, but for scientists and the US military. Only then was it presented to the public, and it turned out to be a mistake... to present it the way it was done.” At the same time, Kaspersky is convinced that the new system should be exclusively compulsory, and all countries should obey it. “If any country disagrees or ignores the agreement, just cut off their Internet,” he said. Evgeny Kaspersky has been making a proposal to escape anonymity on the Internet for several years, but only now his ideas have attracted the attention of the Western press. Considers it necessary to introduce criminal penalties for spam.
Family and hobbies
Married for the third time, four children. From his first marriage to Natalya Kasperskaya (divorce in 1998), Evgeniy has two sons: the eldest Maxim (b. 1989) studies at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, the younger Ivan (b. 1991) at the Computational Mathematics and Mathematics Complex of Moscow State University.
On April 19, 2011, the youngest son Ivan was kidnapped near the Strogino metro station and released five days later as a result of a joint special operation of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department with FSB operatives with the support of OMSN fighters in the Sergiev Posad area. The criminals, who demanded a ransom of €3 million, were detained. In the summer of 2012, the court sentenced one of them, A. Ustimchuk, to 4.5 years in prison.
Ex-wife, co-founder and shareholder of the company - Natalya Kasperskaya. The former spouses continued to successfully collaborate in business for a long time. In 2012, it became known that the antivirus company Kaspersky Lab and the Infowatch company, headed by Natalya Kasperskaya, decided to become completely independent businesses. Sometimes ex-spouses go skiing together: Evgeny with his new wife, Natalya with her new husband.
Kaspersky is fond of Formula 1 races, which he regularly attends, and collaborates with the Ferrari team. Due to the nature of his work, Evgeniy spends most of the year on business trips. He maintains a blog in which he regularly talks about IT security issues, as well as interesting places he has visited. One of his favorites is Kamchatka, where he has vacationed several times already.
According to Bloomberg, Kaspersky sometimes goes to the bathhouse with friends, among whom are employees of the Russian special services. Without denying this fact, the programmer explained that in matters of combating cybercrime, his company cooperates with many intelligence agencies of different countries and sometimes communication continues in a more informal setting.
Evgeniy lives in Moscow. He loves skiing, thanks to which he met his second wife, and often visits the ski resorts of Italy and Austria. He enjoys kayaking and mountaineering. He willingly takes photographs and spends hours showing them to friends. He starred in a commercial for his antivirus with Jackie Chan.
State
In 2011, Forbes magazine estimated Kaspersky's personal fortune at $800 million. In 2013, CEO magazine estimated his fortune at $1 billion.
With the exception of Kaspersky Lab shares, Evgeniy does not have significant investments: “I have a company, an apartment in Moscow and a BMW car. But other than that I have nothing else.”
Books
Written by Evgeniy Kaspersky:
- "Computer Viruses in MS-DOS" (1992)
- "Travel Notes" (2006)
- "We'll meet New Year on South!" (2010)
- "Machu Picchu & Muchas Pictures" (2011)
- "Top 100 places in this world that you really need to see" (2012)
Awards
In 2012, Evgeniy Kaspersky was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Plymouth en. That same year, he was included in CRN's Top 25 Innovators of the Year.
- Medal "Symbol of Science" (2007).
- National Friendship Award of the People's Republic of China (September 29, 2009) - for “contribution to the development of the Chinese information security industry”;
- Heihe River Friendship Award (September 29, 2009) - a mark of distinction for foreign specialists who have made significant contributions to the economic and social development of the city. For “contribution to the development of the Chinese information security industry”;
- State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology 2009 (June 4, 2009) - for major achievements in the field of modern computer information protection systems;
- CEO of the Year, SC Magazine Europe - 2010
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Virus Bulletin - 2010
- Award for Leadership in Brand Development Strategy, World Brand Congress - 2010
- Most Influential IT Security Executive in the World, SYS-CON Media - 2011
- Businessman of the Year, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia - 2011
- Outstanding Business Contribution Award, CEO Middle East - 2011
- Technology Hero of the Year, V3 - 2012
- Top-100 Global Thinker, Foreign Policy Magazine - 2012
- Top 100 IT executives, CRN - 2012
Evgeniy Kaspersky - photo
Currently, Evgeny Kaspersky is one of the world's leading experts in the fight against cybercrime. He is called the terror of computer hackers, as well as “the man who saves the world every day.” In the ranking of the richest and most influential people in Russia, a separate place is always “reserved” for him. But what is the life and destiny of this person?The answer to this question is known only to a few. Evgeny Kaspersky remains a mystery to many. His name (or rather his surname) is clearly associated with the complex he developed computer programs. But what do we know about him as a person? Today we will try to collect all the reliable facts from the life of Evgeniy Kaspersky within the framework of this article.
Origin of Evgeniy Kaspersky
Evgeniy was born in Novorossiysk and became the only child in his family. His father worked as an engineer at a brick factory, and his mother held the post of archivist there. In many ways, it was she who predetermined the entire future fate of the future famous programmer. As Kaspersky himself recalls: “My mother quickly noticed that I loved mathematics. And she slipped me a lot of books on mathematics.” A few years later, it was she who took her son to an optional physics and mathematics school, and then (after moving to the Moscow region) to a physics and mathematics boarding school at Moscow State University. Here the future programmer learned the basics of practical sciences and also engaged in self-education. A peculiar result of all this was admission to the Institute of Cryptography, Communications and Informatics at the KGB Military Academy. After graduating, Kaspersky went to serve. A few years later he would return home with the rank of first lieutenant.Evgeniy Kaspersky: “Apple will not withstand competition”
First steps in programming
According to the official biography of Evgeniy Kaspersky, the programmer began studying computer viruses in 1989. It was during this period that the now famous programmer had his first Personal Computer. However, it soon became clear that the PC was infected. It is worth noting that at that time computer viruses were still very rare. In addition, most of them were very primitive. Therefore, dealing with them was not so difficult.“I disinfected my computer - I don’t remember with what program,” Kaspersky recalls. “But I saved one virus on a floppy disk. I was curious how it worked." As it later turned out, this virus turned out to be the “Cascade 1704” program. Having figured out its device,
Kaspersky wrote his own utility designed to treat it. As the programmer himself notes, all this was done purely out of curiosity. However, the Research Institute of the Air Force General Staff became interested in spontaneous development.
Some time later, one of his then colleagues appeared in Kaspersky’s office and brought another virus on a floppy disk, inviting the programmer to write a program to eliminate it. “I dealt with him. I became interested - and away we went,” Evgeniy recalled many years later.
In 1991, the future famous programmer went to work at the KAMI Information Technology Center, where, together with a group of colleagues, he continued to work on a number of anti-virus programs. Evgeniy Valentinovich will work in this organization until 1997. One of the results of his work will be the famous Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
Recognition and further career of Kaspersky
Soon, the program developed by Kaspersky to protect your computer from viruses became one of the most popular in Russia and the CIS countries. Critics noted the high level of protection, and buyers from various companies willingly installed the new product on their computers. Soon, Evgeny Kaspersky began work on a number of new versions of the program, which were also a great success.
Soon, Kaspersky Lab, founded in 1997 by a small group of like-minded people, turned into a large company with its head office in Moscow and representative offices in various parts of the world. Currently, Kaspersky is one of the world's leading experts in the field of virus protection. He is the author of a huge number of articles and publications devoted to the problem of computer virology.
In addition, Evgeniy regularly speaks at various conferences and seminars in Russia and abroad, telling listeners about various nuances of countering cyber attacks. Kaspersky Lab cooperates with many large global companies, and also provides information support to American, Brazilian, Polish, Israeli and Russian intelligence agencies. The company's turnover, according to some sources, is more than $650 million a year.
In 2012, Kaspersky Lab united more than two and a half thousand employees. For his work, Evgeny Valentinovich was awarded many prestigious awards, including the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2009) and the Runet Prize (2010). In 2012, the American publication Foreign Policy placed him forty in its ranking of the most notable thinkers of the year.
Who is Kaspersky?
Personal life of Evgeny Kaspersky
The legendary cybercrime fighter was married twice. From his first marriage to Natalya Kasperskaya (a businesswoman and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab), he has two children. The eldest son, Maxim, is a student at the Faculty of Geography at Moscow State University, and the youngest, Ivan, studies there, but in the department of computational mathematics and cybernetics.Evgeny Kaspersky maintains friendly and trusting relations with his ex-wife. Until 2012, the former spouses remained colleagues and business partners.
All that is known about the programmer’s second wife is that Kaspersky met her at one of the ski resorts.