Kaspersky Lab
Encyclopedia
Kaspersky Lab is a Russian computer security
company, co-founded by Natalia Kaspersky and Eugene Kaspersky
in 1997, offering anti-virus
, anti-spyware
, anti-spam
, and anti-intrusion products. Kaspersky Lab is a privately held company headquartered in Moscow
, Russia
with regional offices in India
, Germany
, France
, the Netherlands
, the UK
, Poland
, Romania
, Sweden
, Japan
, People's Republic of China
, South Korea
, and the USA
,.
In 2008, IDC ranked Kaspersky Lab as the fourth-largest global antivirus vendor. Kaspersky Lab was also included in Software Top 100’s 2009 edition of the world’s software company rankings. Kaspersky Lab was listed 76th on the list, and became the first Russian software company to be included on the list.
The Kaspersky Anti-Virus engine also powers products or solutions by other security vendors, such as Check Point
, Bluecoat
, Juniper Networks
, Sybari
(now acquired by Microsoft
), Netintelligence, GFI Software
, F-Secure
, Clearswift
, FrontBridge
, G-Data, Netasq
, and others. Altogether, more than 120 companies are licensing technology from Kaspersky.
Kaspersky Labs currently has Jackie Chan
as their product spokesman.
The current line of Kaspersky home-user products consists of Kaspersky Internet Security
(KIS) 2011, Kaspersky Anti-Virus
(KAV) 2011, Kaspersky Mobile Security
(KMS) and AVZ Antiviral Toolkit, Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac, Kaspersky Password Manager, Kaspersky KryptoStorage. In 2010, Kaspersky launched a consumer security suite named Kaspersky Pure. Kaspersky products are widely used throughout Europe and Asia. In the United States, Kaspersky Lab was ranked as the fastest growing internet security software, based on NPD sales data.
In addition to the company’s consumer products, Kaspersky Lab offers a variety of security applications designed for small business, corporations and large enterprises. These offerings include security software to protect workstations, file servers, mail servers, mobile devices, and Internet gateways, all managed through a centralized Administration Kit. These applications are also available in bundled security suites, scaled to fit the requirements of organizations of varying sizes.
Kaspersky Lab products are available via retail stores such as Best-Buy, PC-World, Currys and online through the official Kaspersky eStore or Amazon.com
and other retailers.
The latest 2009 line of Kaspersky products are certified for Windows Vista
and are multi-core optimized.
The firewall included in Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 got a "Very Good" rating in Matousec's Firewall challenge, with a result of 85%. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 has achieved a 6.5 result out of 8 in the Anti Malware Labs rootkit detection test. It has also achieved a 31 out of 33 detection of polymorphic viruses and a 97% result in the self-protection test.
In 2007 Kaspersky Internet Security 7 received an award from the British magazine PC Pro
and also won a place in its "A List".
In addition, Kaspersky has almost passed all Virus Bulletin
comparative tests since August 2003 (failed: June 7, Dec 07 and June 8). According to PC World
magazine, Kaspersky anti-virus software provides the fastest updates for new virus and security threats in the industry. In the latest AV-Comparatives test, the Technical Release build of Kaspersky 2009 achieved a nearly 85% proactive detection rate, when including both heuristic analysis
and HIPS.
In PC World magazine’s March 2010 comparison of consumer security suites, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 scored 4.5/5 stars, and was rated second overall.
Kaspersky has also received certification of their products through the OESIS OK Certification Program, which verifies that the applications are interoperable with third-party technology solutions like NAC
and SSL VPN products from Cisco Systems
, Juniper Networks
, F5 Networks
, and others.
distributor Zango
filed a lawsuit against Kaspersky Lab, accusing it of trade libel for blocking the installation of Zango software. In August, the court ruled that the Communications Decency Act
granted immunity to Kaspersky.
Computer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
company, co-founded by Natalia Kaspersky and Eugene Kaspersky
Eugene Kaspersky
Eugene Kaspersky is a specialist in the information security field. He has written articles on computer virology and speaks regularly at security seminars and conferences...
in 1997, offering anti-virus
Antivirus software
Antivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including but not limited to computer viruses, computer worm, trojan horses, spyware and adware...
, anti-spyware
Spyware
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
, anti-spam
Spam (electronic)
Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately...
, and anti-intrusion products. Kaspersky Lab is a privately held company headquartered in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with regional offices in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,.
In 2008, IDC ranked Kaspersky Lab as the fourth-largest global antivirus vendor. Kaspersky Lab was also included in Software Top 100’s 2009 edition of the world’s software company rankings. Kaspersky Lab was listed 76th on the list, and became the first Russian software company to be included on the list.
The Kaspersky Anti-Virus engine also powers products or solutions by other security vendors, such as Check Point
Check Point
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is a global provider of IT security solutions. Best known for its firewall and VPN products, Check Point first pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful inspection technology...
, Bluecoat
Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat Systems Inc. is a network security and network management company based in Sunnyvale, California, United States.It identifies itself as an application delivery network specialist...
, Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is an information technology and computer networking products multinational company, founded in 1996. It is head quartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA. The company designs and sells high-performance Internet Protocol network products and services...
, Sybari
Sybari
Sybari was a security software company in Hauppauge, New York, that sold anti-spam and antivirus solutions for Microsoft Exchange Server, SharePoint, instant messaging, SMTP, and Lotus Domino...
(now acquired by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
), Netintelligence, GFI Software
GFI Software
GFI Software is a developer of Web & Mail security, Networking & Security and Archiving & Fax computer software founded in 1992. Its products include software for filtering spam and viruses from e-mail as well as for monitoring and scanning networks for security purposes.- Products :GFI Software...
, F-Secure
F-Secure
F-Secure Corporation is an anti-virus and computer security software company based in Helsinki, Finland. The company has 18 country offices and a presence in more than 100 countries, with Security Lab operations in Helsinki, Finland and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, Clearswift
Clearswift
Clearswift is a communications security company, providing web and email filtering for 25 million end users, at around 17,000 business customers. It has offices in six countries worldwide, with headquarters in Theale, near Reading, UK.- SECURE Web Gateway :...
, FrontBridge
FrontBridge
thumb|right|FrontBridge administrative dashboard, showing spam and malicious email filtering rates Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services, also known as FrontBridge, is an email filtering system owned by Microsoft...
, G-Data, Netasq
Netasq
Founded in 1998, Netasq is an information security company based in France. It has designed and markets Unified Threat Management solutions which combine network and application firewall with embedded anti-virus, anti-spam, VPN and content filtering functionality with an integrated real-time...
, and others. Altogether, more than 120 companies are licensing technology from Kaspersky.
Kaspersky Labs currently has Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
as their product spokesman.
Products
Kaspersky Internet Security
Kaspersky Internet Security or KIS is an Internet security suite developed by Kaspersky Lab compatible with Microsoft Windows. KIS supports the detection and remidition of malware, as well as e-mail spam, phishing attempts, and data leaks....
(KIS) 2011, Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Kaspersky Anti-Virus is an antivirus program developed by Kaspersky Lab. It is designed to protect users from malware and is primarily designed for computers running Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, though a version for Linux is available for business consumers....
(KAV) 2011, Kaspersky Mobile Security
Kaspersky Mobile Security
Kaspersky Mobile Security is an Internet security suite developed by Kaspersky Lab, for smartphones using Android, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, and Windows Mobile operating systems...
(KMS) and AVZ Antiviral Toolkit, Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac, Kaspersky Password Manager, Kaspersky KryptoStorage. In 2010, Kaspersky launched a consumer security suite named Kaspersky Pure. Kaspersky products are widely used throughout Europe and Asia. In the United States, Kaspersky Lab was ranked as the fastest growing internet security software, based on NPD sales data.
In addition to the company’s consumer products, Kaspersky Lab offers a variety of security applications designed for small business, corporations and large enterprises. These offerings include security software to protect workstations, file servers, mail servers, mobile devices, and Internet gateways, all managed through a centralized Administration Kit. These applications are also available in bundled security suites, scaled to fit the requirements of organizations of varying sizes.
Kaspersky Lab products are available via retail stores such as Best-Buy, PC-World, Currys and online through the official Kaspersky eStore or Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and other retailers.
The latest 2009 line of Kaspersky products are certified for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and are multi-core optimized.
Independent assessments
The anti-virus software testing group AV-Comparatives gave the Windows XP version of Kaspersky AV an "Advanced+" rating (its highest) in both its February 2008 on-demand detection test (with the fourth highest detection rate among 16 products tested). However, in the Retrospective/Proactive Test May 2008, Kaspersky received the "Standard" rating, detecting 21% of new malware with 1-month old signatures and receiving a substantial amount of false positives.The firewall included in Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 got a "Very Good" rating in Matousec's Firewall challenge, with a result of 85%. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0 has achieved a 6.5 result out of 8 in the Anti Malware Labs rootkit detection test. It has also achieved a 31 out of 33 detection of polymorphic viruses and a 97% result in the self-protection test.
In 2007 Kaspersky Internet Security 7 received an award from the British magazine PC Pro
PC Pro
PC Pro is one of several computer magazines published monthly in the United Kingdom by Dennis Publishing. PC Pro also licenses individual articles for republication in various countries around the world - and some articles are translated into local languages...
and also won a place in its "A List".
In addition, Kaspersky has almost passed all Virus Bulletin
Virus Bulletin
Virus Bulletin is a magazine about the prevention, detection and removal of malware and spam. It regularly features analyses of the latest virus threats, articles exploring new developments in the fight against viruses, interviews with anti-virus experts, and evaluations of current anti-malware...
comparative tests since August 2003 (failed: June 7, Dec 07 and June 8). According to PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
magazine, Kaspersky anti-virus software provides the fastest updates for new virus and security threats in the industry. In the latest AV-Comparatives test, the Technical Release build of Kaspersky 2009 achieved a nearly 85% proactive detection rate, when including both heuristic analysis
Heuristic analysis
Heuristic analysis is a method employed by many computer antivirus programs designed to detect previously unknown computer viruses, as well as new variants of viruses already in the wild....
and HIPS.
In PC World magazine’s March 2010 comparison of consumer security suites, Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 scored 4.5/5 stars, and was rated second overall.
Kaspersky has also received certification of their products through the OESIS OK Certification Program, which verifies that the applications are interoperable with third-party technology solutions like NAC
Network Access Control
Network Access Control is an approach to computer network security that attempts to unify endpoint security technology , user or system authentication and network security enforcement.-Background:Network Access Control is a computer networking solution that uses a set of protocols to define and...
and SSL VPN products from Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
, Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks is an information technology and computer networking products multinational company, founded in 1996. It is head quartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA. The company designs and sells high-performance Internet Protocol network products and services...
, F5 Networks
F5 Networks
F5 Networks, Inc. is a networking appliances company. It is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and has development and marketing offices worldwide. It originally manufactured and sold some of the very first load balancing products...
, and others.
Litigation
In May 2007, adwareAdware
Adware, or advertising-supported software, is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up. They may also be in the user interface of the software or on a screen presented to the user during...
distributor Zango
Zango (company)
Zango, formerly ePIPO, 180solutions and Hotbar, was a software company that provided users access to its partners' videos, games, tools and utilities in exchange for viewing targeted advertising placed on their computers. Zango software is listed as adware by Symantec...
filed a lawsuit against Kaspersky Lab, accusing it of trade libel for blocking the installation of Zango software. In August, the court ruled that the Communications Decency Act
Communications Decency Act
The Communications Decency Act of 1996 was the first notable attempt by the United States Congress to regulate pornographic material on the Internet. In 1997, in the landmark cyberlaw case of Reno v. ACLU, the United States Supreme Court struck the anti-indecency provisions of the Act.The Act was...
granted immunity to Kaspersky.
External links
- Official Fanclub website
- The Virus Warrior: A Start-Up Tale By Jessica Bachman, Ernst & Young, April 29, 2010.