There are biographies of people whose success is backed by millions of dollars, the desires of big tycoons and precise economic calculations. The biography that will be discussed today is different. Behind this success story is simple human courage, incredible passion and faith in your star. This is the story of a man who believed in himself and created a corporation that is making waves throughout the computer world today. I offer for your consideration biography of Evgeny Kaspersky- a “steamboat man” who turned into a brand.
It all started with the fact that one evening, senior lieutenant of the Soviet Army Evgeniy Kaspersky was poking around at his computer. It was the distant, distant year of 1989 - a magical time when only the advanced and initiated knew about computer viruses. And it had to happen that just at that moment a virus called Cascade got onto Evgeniy Kaspersky’s computer.
Today viruses can be treated with lightning speed, but back then you had to rely on your ingenuity and skills. No, it’s not for nothing that Evgeny Kaspersky graduated from the Institute of Cryptography: he managed to “cure” a computer and... enjoyed it. Yes, yes, as the future millionaire later admitted, it was that evening that he realized that he had found his calling.
Don’t rush to shout “Vivat” and immediately expect miracles. Evgeny Kaspersky still differed from thousands of Soviet officers only in that from time to time he undertook to “treat” other people’s computers. Some people collected stamps, others glued models, but Kaspersky fought viruses at home.
Over time, the hobby attracted Eugene more and more, and even good rumors spread about it in certain circles. This recognition was greatly facilitated by the creation of our own. True, the program is too strong a word. Today it would most likely be called a regular utility. And yet, fighting viruses was no longer just a hobby: for good money he was offered to install his program on a batch of purchased computers. Then similar requests became regular and Kaspersky. The money had not yet flowed in, but was already looming somewhere on the horizon.
With one of his first fees, Kaspersky did not go on vacation to the Black Sea and did not spend it in restaurants, but took it and published a book about computer protection. This did not bring him any money (and did not return his investment), but Kaspersky’s status as a specialist was firmly established. A period of recognition, consultation and travel to special conferences began.
And then we had to choose: either the conference or the army. Success is good, but this success did not go well with shoulder straps. As a result, being at that time the father of two children, Evgeniy took a step into the abyss: he left the army, rushing towards the unknown. They considered him crazy and tried to dissuade him, but Kaspersky already sensed his calling and went all-in.
Success is approaching
In 1991, Evgeny Kaspersky got a job at the company " Kami", which at that time did not even have an anti-virus protection department. In fact, Kaspersky himself became this department, since for a long time he was listed as its only employee. Have I already told you that Evgeniy Kaspersky is a level 85 workaholic? No? So, Evgeny Kaspersky is a level 85 workaholic.
Having reached his favorite viruses, with which he could already officially communicate during working hours, this man began to naturally burn himself. Without pity and “I’ll finish it later.”
Please read this paragraph carefully for anyone who thinks that money in the IT sector is easy and two days off a week is not enough. The owner of the company, which is now valued at $1 billion, allowed himself only two days off a month and at least 12 hours of daily work. Kaspersky worked in this rhythm for many years, and even today, when finances are almost unlimited and everything is fine with recognition, he remains the same workaholic. In the good sense of the word, of course.
Until 1994, everything was not going well. The anti-virus programs he developed for Kami were sold with difficulty, which only made it possible to avoid losing money. The breakthrough came by chance: in 1994, his own program AVP took first place in a competition in Germany, having discovered the most viruses. So that you understand the importance of the event: at this time the McAfee And Norton Antivirus. And Kaspersky Anti-Virus has become the best! A great reason for pride and a new dose of motivation.
Soon the era of the first contracts arrived: Evgeny Kaspersky began concluding contracts with foreign companies. Naturally, this already brought in completely different money. Workaholism was now paying off. And then there was 1996 and a contract with “ 1C", thanks to which the situation only became stronger. The business was growing, but triumph was still many kilometers away.
Of course, there was also plenty of wood to spare. Kaspersky's main mistake was that the rights to the AVP trademark were obtained only for Russia. Naturally, the more advanced Western comrades, quickly sensing the fatality of the mistake, churned out a huge number of clones. What's most offensive is that it was unlikely that anyone would be held accountable. Evgeny Kaspersky could have become limp and offended, but this only spurred him on and gave him invaluable experience.
The era of Kaspersky Lab
In 1997, Evgeny Kaspersky became strong enough to sail independently. He left Kami and founded the brand known today to the general public as “ Kaspersky Lab" And again, don’t rush to wait for bags of gold: for now it was a tiny company with a minimum of experience, a tiny market share and huge plans coupled with colossal ambitions. But patience and work will grind everything down. Evgeny Kaspersky soon proved 100% the truth of this saying.
In all subsequent years, Evgeny Kaspersky systematically moved towards success, capturing more and more new markets. Since the founding of the company, his strategy has been unchanged: each new market is conquered solely due to advantages, and not hidden marketing struggle. It took years for the name of Evgeniy Kaspersky to become associated with success.
Sometime after 2005, the time of recognition began: The network grew stronger, the number of users grew like a snowball, products Kaspersky Lab became popular. Evgeny Kaspersky undertook expansion to the West and East, pushing aside the recognized masters of this niche. Today the company has penetrated 200 countries and has earned credibility throughout the world. What Evgeny Kaspersky so dreamed of achieving has come true - his name has become a recognizable brand.
In addition to dealing with viruses and being a workaholic, Evgeny Kaspersky also became famous as a talented organizer: he tirelessly rewards employees and introduces additional sources of motivation. Besides this, the creator of Kaspersky Lab donates a lot to charity and shies away from publicity. As Evgeniy himself admits, he managed to gain immunity from star fever in the early stages of his career and now feels comfortable in the status of a multimillionaire.
That’s all I wanted to tell you about a man who did not feel sorry for himself and did not wait for manna from heaven. It’s a pity that people like this, dedicated to their dreams, are rare. And yet, as long as they exist, this world is not hopeless!
Kaspersky Evgeniy Valentinovich- founder, head of antivirus research, as well as CEO of Kaspersky Lab and one of the world's leading antivirus experts.
Member of the Computer Virus Research Organization (CARO), which brings together the most prominent experts in the field.
Assets
Main assets of Evgeny Kaspersky:
State
On March 11, 2015, it became known that Evgeny Kaspersky was included in the list of billionaires in the Forbes ranking. In addition, he is among the top ten new richest people in the technology industry.
His fortune is estimated at $1 billion. In the general Forbes list, Kaspersky ranks 1741. As of March 11, 2015, Kaspersky Lab products had about 300 million users. The company employs more than 2.7 thousand people and has offices in 30 countries.
Biography
Born October 4, 1965 in Novorossiysk, Russia.
1982 - graduated from Physics and Mathematics Boarding School No. 18 named after A.N. Kolmogorov at Moscow State University.
He began studying the phenomenon of computer viruses in October 1989, when the Cascade 1704 virus was discovered on his computer.
After college, Kaspersky served in the army and retired to the reserve with the rank of senior lieutenant.
until 1991 - worked at the multidisciplinary research institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense.
1991-1997 - worked at the Scientific and Technical Center "KAMI", where, together with a group of like-minded people, he developed the AVP anti-virus project (later - Kaspersky Anti-Virus).
1997: Foundation of Kaspersky Lab
He was only the head of all anti-virus research of the company.
2001 - organized the opening of the annual Virus Bulletin conference - the central event in the antivirus industry, as well as the successful counteraction to all global virus epidemics that occurred in 2001, incl. CodeRed, Nimda, SirCam, Goner, Aliz, etc.
2007: General director of Kaspersky Lab, film debut
2007 - General Director of Kaspersky Lab CJSC.
2007 - Kaspersky made his debut as an actor in the TV series “Network”, which tells about Russian hackers.
2009: Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation
Having visited Kaspersogo Laboratory, the head of Russia found the office interesting and modern.
2009 - Member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.
On June 18, 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting of the commission on modernization and technological development of the Russian economy at the Kaspersky Lab office. Evgeny Kaspersky himself also took part in the commission meeting, who made a report to its participants on the topic of Russian software production. The head of the laboratory gave the president a tour, showing the head of state the server room, the “iron room” where antiviruses are tested, as well as the virus laboratory where virus analysts manually catch viruses. The President considered the Laboratory's office "interesting and modern."
August 2010 - Member of the Advisory Scientific Council of the Skolkovo Innovation Center.
2011: Forbes estimates Kaspersky's fortune at $800 million
In the ranking of the Russian-language version of Forbes “The Richest Businessmen of Russia - 2011” he ranks 125th with a fortune of $800 million.
2012
Forbes estimated net worth: $700 million
Support for the European Commission's initiative to combat cybercrime
2012 - supported the initiative of the European Commission to combat cybercrime.
Included in Wired's list of the world's most dangerous people
In December 2012, the American magazine Wired included Evgeniy Kaspersky in its list of The 15 Most Dangerous People in the World, placing him in eighth place.
The first three places in it are occupied by the head of the Iranian special forces, General Qassem Suleimani, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman.
Wired motivated the co-optation of Kaspersky into the rating of “dangerous people” by the work of the “Laboratory” he heads to neutralize the Stuxnet, Flame and Duqu malware, with the help of which industrial and government facilities were attacked in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, as well as his rhetoric in favor of restrictions Internet freedom.
September 29, 2009 - received the National Friendship Award of the People's Republic of China (for "contribution to the development of the Chinese information security industry").
September 29, 2009 - Received the Heihe River Friendship Award, an honor for foreign specialists who have made significant contributions to the economic and social development of the city.
2010 - received the title "Executive of the Year" from SC Magazine Europe.
2007 - Medal “Symbol of Science”.
Awarded the “Symbol of Science” medal.
Hobbies
Loves Formula 1 in general and Scuderia Ferrari in particular.
He is interested in kayaking, skiing, mountaineering, and also considers work to be his hobby: “For me, a hobby is a job, and work is a hobby...”.
One of his main hobbies is traveling: both on duty and simply out of love for long journeys, Kaspersky has visited various parts of the world, from Kamchatka to the South Pole, and regularly reports on his travels on the forum of his own fan club.
2018: Kaspersky published the book “Altai – Big Water”
On February 28, 2017, it became known that a businessman had published a book about Altai - “Altai - Big Water.”
Quotes
“We must live in such a way that we remember money as rarely as we remember air.” (Interview to Russian Reporter)
“I feel like I’m on the front lines of the war against cybercriminals.” (Interview with Computerra magazine)
I am convinced that “a good positive authority helps in everything. But to lead a company, the authority of a security expert alone is, of course, not enough. We must prove to ourselves and others that the decisions we make are correct, optimal, and lead the company and its employees into a bright future.”
Evgeniy Kaspersky is an adherent of a collegial, exclusively democratic leadership style with maximum delegation of authority. “In my opinion, all management of a company should consist of defining strategy and objectives, setting priorities and monitoring results. I leave everything else to the shoulders of the management team, whose professionalism I have absolutely no doubt about.” He considers the main principles of the company’s work to be “professionalism, honesty and loyalty to partners and clients.”
2012: About cyber threats to Apple products
In an interview with Computer Business Review during the Info Security 2012 conference in London, Evgeniy Kaspersky, the founder and chief executive of the company named after him, said that Apple will have to radically reconsider its response to malware attacks. In particular, we are talking about the Trojan program for MacOS X, Flashback, which recently caused a lot of noise. Kaspersky Lab employees jokingly call it Flashfake, since the malicious code infected over 600 thousand Mac platforms around the world, and the likelihood of infection remained for several weeks.
In an interview, Kaspersky says that Apple is at least 10 years behind Microsoft in terms of security. “I have been repeating for many years in a row that from the point of view of ensuring IT security there is no fundamental difference between the Mac and Windows platforms. It has always been possible to develop malware for the Mac. The Flashback developers managed to create a program of a slightly different kind - it does not offer to install the application on the system, but uses vulnerabilities and gains access to user mode without any warnings.”
The problem faced by Apple should teach the company to proactively respond to threats, noted the director of Kaspersky Lab. Flashback not only shook up the theory that the Mac platform was invulnerable, but also led to harsh criticism of Apple due to its late response to the problem. The malicious application exploited a vulnerability in Java that Oracle had closed two months earlier. However, Apple does not allow third-party developers to update the software, and the “proprietary” patch was released only in early April. By this time, the number of infected systems exceeded 600 thousand.
As Apple systems become more widespread in the corporate segment and among ordinary users, the company will have to pay more attention to the means of combating cyber criminals, because attacks will become more sophisticated, and Flashback is a clear confirmation of this.
Feedback from colleagues
“Man-brand” - this is how Sergey Girdin, president of the Marvel group of companies, briefly and succinctly characterizes Evgeniy Kaspersky. No less vivid epithets were chosen for him by the general director of Croc, Boris Bobrovnikov: “Transnational monster...”.
Family
Married for the second time. Two sons.
- First wife - Natalya Kasperskaya.
In 1998, he divorced his first wife Natalya Kasperskaya. Has two sons from his first marriage. The eldest - Maxim, studied at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University. Junior - Ivan (born 1991) - at the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics of Moscow State University.
Later married a second time.
2011: Kidnapping of son Ivan
According to the agency's source, the motive for the crime of the Savelyevs and their friends was the desire to pay off the ransom received for loans made in one of the banks.
The attackers searched for a potential victim on the Internet to receive a ransom. Their choice fell on Ivan Kaspersky after they discovered his home and work addresses on his VKontakte page.
At the same time, according to the Kommersant newspaper, the kidnapping was organized by a repeatedly convicted “professional criminal,” and the attackers followed the young man for several months, choosing a scheme to commit a crime.
Interlocutors of LifeNews said that the kidnapping was carried out “unprofessionally.” At around 8:15 am, Ivan was filmed by surveillance cameras in the Strogino metro station closest to his place of work, and at around 9 am, the kidnappers forced him to call his family and convey the terms of a ransom of 3 million euros.
The second evidence of the unprofessionalism of the criminals, law enforcement officers called the detention of the prisoner in the same house in the garden community "Roshcha" near Sergiev Posad, where they themselves lived.
- On the evening of April 21, 2011, LifeNews reported that a ransom was paid to the kidnappers of Ivan Kaspersky, the amount of which was not disclosed. After the captive's release, law enforcement sources said the media were misinformed to appease the kidnappers.
In an interview with RSN, Natalya Kasperskaya said that her son was not tortured and was kept handcuffed and locked in a bathhouse. The kidnappers constantly changed the phone numbers from which they made ransom calls. While law enforcement agencies were busy freeing the young man, she and her husband “sat in a separate room on Petrovka and waited for the kidnapper’s call.” On the last day, the criminal did not get in touch, and I. Kaspersky’s parents found out that everything was over only after the information appeared in the media.
“The criminals acted harshly, there were no threats during telephone conversations, except for one time when the main attacker said that he did not want to take sin on his soul, which was a signal that, in general, they could take any action,” - Kaspersky said later.
According to official information from the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, Ivan Kaspersky was released from the hands of the kidnappers only on Sunday, April 24, 2011. By this time, his location had already been located using a working mobile phone. Information about this was made public by the official representative of the capital's Central Internal Affairs Directorate, Viktor Biryukov. According to law enforcement officials, Ivan Kaspersky’s condition is “satisfactory.”
According to official information from the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the release was carried out as a result of a force operation by employees of the FSB, MUR and special forces. The operation in the area of Sergiev Posad “took place without a single shot.”
The kidnappers were given a meeting to hand over the ransom in Moscow, where the entire Savelyev family and one of their accomplices went. The cars in which they were traveling were stopped to check documents, and the attackers were detained.
At the same time, another capture group entered the territory of the garden farm where the prisoner was kept. Ivan Kaspersky was discovered in the bathhouse building, where he was guarded by another accomplice of the Savelyev family.
At the same time, Interfax’s source in law enforcement agencies reported that the thieves “were promised money, but at the time of transferring part of the required amount, the intermediary was first detained, and then several more accomplices in the crime.”
In total, five alleged kidnappers were detained during the security operation. Law enforcement officials did not disclose the names of the detainees, but reported that they included a possible organizer of the crime. According to Vladimir Markin, a representative of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, a criminal case was opened under articles of “kidnapping” and “extortion” regarding the kidnapping of Ivan Kaspersky.
“The crime was real, my son was captured on the street, all his clothes and everything that was with him were taken away, and he was dressed in some kind of robe. He was kept, as far as I know, handcuffed in a dark bathhouse for five days. He didn't even know how many days he spent there. Well, naturally, he has lost weight, so now we are sending him to rest and fatten up,” Kaspersky said on April 27, 2011 in the “Live Broadcast” program on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.
Later, Evgeny Kaspersky stated that this incident directly affects the image of Russia, which strives to be innovative. Evgeny Kaspersky thanked the intelligence officers and noted their professionalism. “I was truly amazed by the professionalism that I saw in the actions of the workers of Lubyanka and Petrovka. Many thanks to them,” he said.
Evgeny Kaspersky wrote in his blog:
“The company quickly grew into one of the world's largest vendors, but I remained in the good old days when all men were brothers.”
In his opinion, when kidnapping Ivan, the criminals used open data from social networks; he called on parents to ensure that their children did not publish unnecessary things on the Internet.
Everything is not so simple, Ashmanov believes, because on social networks Ivan indicated the old address, this house has long been demolished. “I am sure that all the information for the perpetrators was collected by the customers, perhaps even one of their own, but the investigation did not go beyond the capture of the kidnappers,” Ashmanov complains. “They didn’t dig in the direction of the FSO officer who was detained along with this gang.” And there is no one else to dig. After the release of Ivan, Kaspersky turned to the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev with a request to reward seven officers who were directly involved in the release of their son. They were rewarded in a unique way. All seven operatives did not pass recertification, says Ashmanov. At Petrovka, 38, they refused to answer all Forbes’ questions related to the kidnapping and referred them to the Investigative Committee of Russia. The request there remained unanswered.
Ashmanov does not rule out that the bandits’ ultimate goal was not ransom at all. “I think they wanted to put pressure on Evgeniy Kaspersky or Natalya, the shareholders of Kaspersky Lab,” he says. “Perhaps we never heard the true demands.”
The officer was accused under Part 2 of Article 126 (kidnapping) and Part 3 of Article 163 (extortion) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation; the prosecutor demanded that he be sentenced to five years in prison.
According to investigators, the officer, wanting to enrich himself by kidnapping people, entered into a conspiracy with his accomplices (the case against them was separated into separate proceedings). On their instructions, the accused purchased three foreign cars and 20 mobile phones with “impersonal contracts” from cellular telephone operators.
»You can talk about the Russian computer genius non-stop for a very, very long time, without losing a single word of admiration, because this man is Evgeniy Kaspersky. His biography is full of achievements of the highest level. This man is a brand in himself, a billionaire programmer, the head of the self-created international company Kaspersky Lab, which deals with computer security, sells software in at least two hundred countries and has more than thirty representatives in the regions.
In addition to running the company, he works extensively for the Computer Virus Research Organization, regularly reviewing the topic, writing articles, and developing computer protection. The Laboratory is thriving, and the biggest contribution to this is made by the director and main owner, Evgeniy Kaspersky.
Biography
He was born in 1965 in Novorossiysk. The family was intelligent and had nothing to do with programming. His father worked at a cement plant as an engineer, and his mother was an archivist-historian. Only Evgeniy Kaspersky himself truly fell in love with mathematics in the family. His biography was built on this love.
From Novorossiysk, the parents moved near Moscow - to Dolgoprudny, where the boy studied at an excellent school and attended a special course in his favorite subject. Childhood, family, parents - the biography of Evgeny Kaspersky, as the only son, was built only on love and mutual understanding. The parents liked their son’s hobby, and they supported him in every possible way: they bought special books and helped him in everything.
The result was brilliant. In 1980, Evgeny Kaspersky, whose biography was already beginning to take shape in a certain way, won the All-Union Mathematical Olympiad, and therefore entered the Kolmogorov boarding school. Everyone already knew then that this educational institution belonged to Moscow State University. However, there were higher educational institutions in the country that were much cooler. In 1987, it became clear that the choice made made Evgeniy Kaspersky’s biography look even richer: he received a diploma in mathematics engineering from the KGB Higher School. This was followed by several years of service - up to the rank of senior lieutenant.
Job
The science of mathematics was always easy for him, cryptography and computer technology were extremely interesting, and therefore success was obvious. Immediately after graduation, the first triumphs appeared in the biography of Evgeniy Kaspersky. He got a job at a multidisciplinary research institute that existed under the auspices of the USSR Ministry of Defense. This was the service.
This is where research into computer viruses began. Success did not happen overnight; it took the programmer ten years to establish himself properly in the field of anti-virus protection of operating systems, after which it was already possible to organize his own business.
Secrets
One of the most famous experts in the fight against cybercrime today is Evgeny Valentinovich Kaspersky. His biography is exceptionally rich in events, including dangerous ones for Evgeniy himself, “who saves the world every day,” and for his family. Everyone knows the incident with the kidnapping of his son. But this man was and remains a real threat to world hacking. Photos of Evgeniy Kaspersky can be easily obtained on the Internet, as well as the simplest information about him known to the whole world.
However, the main part of his life has always been closed to everyone and will probably never be fully revealed. At least not in our lifetime. For example, Evgeny Kaspersky only jokes about nationality. Jews, Germans, and Bulgarians place him on the branches of their family tree (the latter even spread the theory that he invented the computer in Bulgaria). In fact, the name is Polish, and Evgeniy Kaspersky himself is, first of all, a Soviet man.
1989
From this year on, the direction of all future activities of one of the most famous and It was in 1989 that the successful programmer got his first own computer. And, as it turned out, infected. At the origins of the development of personal computers, few people knew about viruses; they were extremely rare. Such simple ones, even primitive ones, would probably be funny to today’s programmer.
But they didn’t yet know how to fight them. Kaspersky was lucky; fate itself cooperated, slipping the infection into the very first computer, which Evgeniy cured without difficulty. But I saved the virus on a floppy disk for study. After analyzing this malicious program (it turned out to be “Cascade-1704”), Kaspersky wrote a “healing” utility. He did all this purely out of curiosity, but the Air Force General Staff itself became interested. From then on, viruses began to arrive to the programmer constantly, more and more new, more and more complex. Kaspersky cracked them like nuts.
1991
In 1991, another fateful event happened: the already well-known programmer was accepted into KAMI - the Information Technology Center, where he continued to work on anti-virus programs. Six years of work at this institution yielded an exceptionally good result - the Kaspersky Anti-Virus program, which very soon became popular both in Russia and in all CIS countries.
The level of protection was very high, and this new product soon began to be installed not only on the computers of various companies, but also on almost every personal one. The program was constantly being improved, new versions appeared, also very successful. And in 1997, Evgeny Kaspersky and a small group of colleagues and like-minded people founded Kaspersky Lab, which quickly became a large company with its main office in Moscow, and its representative offices were opened in various parts of the world.
Cooperation
Conferences and seminars on computer virology are held on behalf of the company, both in our country and abroad. Students are taught to resist hacker attacks. Now information is being exchanged with the intelligence services of Russia, Israel, Poland, Brazil, and America, and the company’s turnover has grown incredibly. The exact figure is unknown, but in the early 2000s, experts calculated about seven hundred million dollars a year.
From history: the founder of the company really did not want to put his own name on public display, but in those days Evgeniy Kaspersky had already had his personal life for a long time. And his first wife insisted on exactly this name for the future brand. She also became a co-founder. Simultaneously with the start of its own company, SecureList opened - an Internet portal that is an encyclopedia of viruses, errors, vulnerabilities, and malware. The information is constantly updated; it appears on two pages - in English and Russian versions.
Personal life
For the first time, the legendary cybercrime fighter married a future prominent businesswoman, Natalya. She became the co-founder of his “Laboratory” in 1997. In short, Evgeniy Kaspersky and his wife had a lot in common. The photo speaks of such intimacy, which, it would seem, is not afraid of any ups and downs of life. But in 1998 they divorced. However, they did not part completely, remaining friends, colleagues and partners, keeping the same two sons - Maxim and Ivan - were raised together.
And since Evgeniy Valentinovich almost immediately married again, the children perceived the two families as one. The first wife also formed a new family, and very often they vacationed together - with two families, keeping Only in 2012 did Natalya and Evgeniy cease to be business partners.
Evgeniy Kaspersky's third wife is Chinese. Photos of this couple from 2009 - the beginning of their relationship - and to this day are simply impossible to find on the Internet. “All three of our common children speak fluent Russian and Chinese, which, of course, enriches the world of their communication,” says Evgeny Kaspersky. “A Chinese wife is wonderful!”
Family
The new wife works at the Pushkin Institute. As they say, she is a smart and delicate person. Kaspersky values softness in women most of all, and intelligence about the same. Maxim, the eldest son, did not follow in his father’s footsteps; he nevertheless chose Moscow State University and its geography department. Ivan is also at this university, but he studies computational mathematics and cybernetics. In 2011, something terrible happened - something that wealthy families often experience.
Ivan was kidnapped from the metro and demanded a ransom - a measly three million euros for his precious life. The Moscow criminal investigation department worked well, the criminals were quickly detained, and Ivan was returned safe and sound to his parents. But anything could have happened. You can imagine how worried loved ones were if the whole country was so worried that strangers on trams shared fresh information with each other: “Did you catch it?.. How, still not?!” And so on for five days, until the situation was resolved by the capture of the criminals.
Hobbies
The most important hobby of the famous programmer is skiing. And in general, he really loves extreme types of recreation - kayaking, car racing (he collaborates with the Ferrari brand, follows Formula 1 with great attention). Takes great photographs. He travels a lot, and prefers virgin, wild places. Loves Kamchatka.
He maintains a blog where he talks a lot about the work of the company, about cybersecurity, but there are about the same number of photographs taken with his own hands in the most beautiful places on the planet, as well as many stories about interesting events, from which you can better see the activities of this self-confident, integral and positive tuned person. In addition to the blog, Kaspersky has an Instagram account.
State
In 2016, Evgeniy Kaspersky’s fortune was estimated at $1.1 billion. According to Forbes, he ranked 86th in the ranking of the richest Russians. The creators of Kaspersky Lab claim that they have no outside investors. The company develops thanks to its own profit turnover, and they value its independence very much. In principle, there is still enough profit for development.
All of Kaspersky’s significant investments are connected only with his “Laboratory”. He does not play any extraneous business games. The success of his own company is his main business. According to him, the only property he owns is Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow apartment and a BMW car; he has nothing else, and he doesn’t need anything else.
Purpose
Kaspersky is at the very forefront of modern cyber warfare, he is fighting against the destroyers of our future - computer viruses. And the fact that our life today is unthinkable without information technology is clear to everyone. There will be more to come. There have been rumors that have been going on for many years about the Laboratory’s connections with the intelligence services. Evgeniy Kaspersky himself does not comment on any rumors. no matter what they concern, he does not advertise his party sympathies.
The Laboratory's press service calls rumors on this topic slander. However, there is clearly cooperation! And it is necessary. It is impossible for law enforcement officers to do without the help of such specialists today. So, in June 2016, it was Kaspersky who helped them find fifty hackers (Lurk group).
On guard
And a little earlier, in 2015, Kaspersky Lab uncovered cyber espionage, the victims of which were Israel, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and other countries of the Middle East, where a huge number of victims of the Desert Falcons operation turned out to be. It is not only the Middle East that has suffered. Even in Russia the virus was discovered. More than fifty countries lost over a million valuable files.
These were mainly government agencies, military departments, media, research and educational institutions, and large energy companies. Political leaders and activists who possess critical geopolitical information were harmed. Kaspersky Lab discovered all three groups of hackers of Arab origin who carried out their malicious activities in different countries.
Evgeny Valentinovich Kaspersky was born on October 4, 1965 in Novorossiysk. Since childhood, the boy developed an interest in mathematics, which his mother noticed and began buying special books for her son. In 1982, he graduated from the physics and mathematics boarding school No. 18 named after Kolmogorov at Moscow State University. In 1991, Kaspersky completed his studies at the Institute of Cryptography, Communications and Informatics at the KGB Higher School. As a student, in 1989 he began studying computer viruses. After college, Kaspersky served in the army and retired to the reserve with the rank of senior lieutenant. His first computer was infected with viruses, one of which Kaspersky decided to save on a floppy disk in order to find out how it worked. Antivirus programs that existed at that time were primitive. Kaspersky studied the virus and wrote his own program to treat it. After some time, a colleague brought him a new virus, which he also managed to cure on his own. So he began creating antivirus programs.
Until 1991, Kaspersky worked at the multidisciplinary closed research institute of the General Staff of the Russian Air Force. From 1991 to 1997, he developed an anti-virus project at the Scientific and Technical Center "KAMI". Since 1994, the product, which at that time was called the "-v" program, received the name "AVP" (AntiViral Toolkit Pro). In 1997, Kaspersky and five other people from his team left KAMI and founded their own company, Kaspersky Lab. By that time, the product of the Laboratory, which had become a leader in the development of information security systems in Russia, entered the international market. However, their partner in the US registered the name "AVP" as a trademark and began to position itself as its owner. As a result of the conflict, Kaspersky Lab lost the AVP trademark. In November 2000, the Laboratory officially announced a change in the name and logo of the product, which received a new name - Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
In 1994, Evgeniy Kaspersky’s wife, Natalya, joined KAMI as director of the sales department. In the year of the creation of Kaspersky Lab, she was appointed to the post of CEO. In 1997, the couple divorced, but continued to cooperate, and Natalya successfully promoted her husband’s company in the Russian and international markets. Her achievements included agreements with F-Secure (Finland), G-Data (Germany) and Vintage Solutions (Japan) and the Russian 1C and Polikom Pro. In 1999, the company's first foreign representative office, Kaspersky Labs UK, opened in Cambridge, UK. In 2003, Laboratory opened representative offices in Japan and China.
Kaspersky Lab initially employed six people, but gradually it grew into an international group of companies with a head office in Moscow, ten foreign representative offices and a staff of more than 500 people. At the beginning of 2002, the Laboratory expanded its scope of activities to protect users not only from viruses, but also from the entire range of information security threats. At the end of the year, users were introduced to the Kaspersky Anti-Hacker personal firewall, designed to protect computer networks or individual nodes from unauthorized access, and the Kaspersky Anti-Spam anti-spam system. In 2003, the Kaspersky Lab team teamed up with the team of developers of the Romanian anti-virus system RAV. In the annual report "Analysis of the anti-virus protection market in Russia 2007-2008" of the Russian independent information and analytical portal Anti-Malware.ru, Kaspersky Lab took a leading position in the Russian market with sales of $60.2 million and a market share of 45 percent. In addition, Laboratory announced that it plans to list its shares on the London Stock Exchange in the spring of 2009.
In 2007, Kaspersky, who had previously only been the head of antivirus research, became the CEO of Kaspersky Lab, and his ex-wife was elected to the post of chairman of the board of directors. At that time, Kaspersky owned more than 50 percent of the company’s shares, and Natalya – 30 percent. Kommersant claimed that organizational changes at Kaspersky Lab were associated with a conflict between former spouses: allegedly their opinions about the company’s development strategy differed. After Natalya learned that her powers could be terminated, she organized the removal of important documents from the depository and canceled the second signature of the financial director, thus gaining full control over cash flows. She subsequently stated that the documents in the depository were of no value, and the revocation of the signature was caused by personal reasons. Evgeny Kaspersky refused to comment on this situation. Then Natalya was appointed to the post of CEO of InfoWatch, a subsidiary of Kaspersky Lab, a developer of systems for protecting confidential information from insiders. To get 50 percent plus one share of the company, she fired the general director, Evgeniy Preobrazhensky, and confronted top managers who owned a minority stake with the fact of a possible dilution of their stake during a future additional issue.
In March 2007, the Federal Tax Service (FTS) announced a tender for the supply of anti-virus software. In May, Systematics, which offered software from Kaspersky Lab, was declared the winner. At the same time, the Laboratory itself participated in this competition. However, in the end, on June 8, 2008, the tender was won by the Russian IT company LETA, which at first was almost excluded from the competition (after it began, the Federal Tax Service announced that the product offered by this company did not meet the conditions of the competition). Kaspersky Lab and Systematics decided to challenge the results of the tender. Kaspersky Lab filed a lawsuit in the Moscow Arbitration Court demanding that the decision of the Federal Tax Service be declared illegal, claiming that the tender for the supply of programs was held with violations, but the Laboratory lost the claim.
In September 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, by decree, appointed Kaspersky as a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.
Kaspersky is a member of the Computer Virus Research Organization (CARO), which brings together the most prominent experts in the field. 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. In 2007, Kaspersky was awarded the Symbol of Science medal. Kaspersky Lab became the winner of the Runet Prize 2007 for its contribution to the development of the Russian segment of the Internet in the Technology and Innovation category. In 2009, “for achievements in the fight against computer viruses, as well as achievements in the field of modern computer information protection systems,” Kaspersky became a laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology.
"Travel Notes" (2006)
Evgeny Kaspersky was born on October 4, 1965 in the city of Novorossiysk. He grew up as an only child in the family. Since childhood, Evgeniy showed interest in mathematics. His mother happily supported this interest, buying special books for the child. The young mathematician began his studies at secondary school No. 3 named after Gastello in the town of Dolgoprudny near Moscow, and began an in-depth study of mathematics as part of a special course.
Studying at school and self-education gave brilliant results; in 1980, Evgeniy won the Mathematical Olympiad. After winning the Olympiad, he was enrolled in physics and mathematics boarding school No. 18 named after A. N. Kolmogorov at Moscow State University. Two years later, Kaspersky graduated from school. Then, in 1987, the guy graduated from the KGB Higher School and received the specialty “mathematical engineer”.
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. This step in his career can be considered fateful. It is in this job that he studies and analyzes computer viruses. In 1989, Evgeniy Valentinovich developed a utility to treat the system from the Cascade virus.
The process of creating utilities interested Evgeniy, and the programmer delved into the work. Already in 1991, Kaspersky worked at the KAMI Information Technology Center. There he led a group of highly specialized specialists who are developing “medicines” for computer viruses.
In 1997, Kaspersky Lab appeared. Evgeniy Valentinovich and his colleagues are creating their own company. He 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. In 2000, the brainchild of the AVP company, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, took on the name of its creator. Until 2007, Evgeniy Valentinovich led the research, and then served as general director. The head 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. His fortune in 2013 was estimated at $1 billion. Evgeniy Valentinovich also became the author of numerous articles and reviews. During his work, the mathematical engineer willingly speaks at seminars and shares his invaluable experience at conferences in the Russian Federation and abroad.
In 2012, Evgeny rightfully occupies an honorable 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 he was second only to the group Pussy Riot. But the American Wired assigned Kaspersky number eight in the ranking of the most dangerous people in the world, because Kaspersky contributed to the exposure and neutralization of the American cyber espionage program in the Middle East.
Kaspersky also advocates “transparency” on the Internet, he is against anonymity and believes that if each user were identified, the “World Wide Web” would become safer. Among Evgeniy Valentinovich's hobbies are skiing, hiking, kayaking, photography and racing. Kaspersky follows Formula 1 racing and even collaborates with Ferrari.
In March 2015, Bloomberg published material from which it follows that since 2012, Kaspersky’s company’s ties with Russian intelligence services have sharply intensified, and “people with close ties to Russian military or intelligence structures” have taken up key management positions in the Laboratory.
According to Kaspersky, the agency failed to “dig up” anything: a third of the Bloomberg article consists of “purely reliable, public facts” contained in reports and other public documents of the company. Later in June 2016, Kaspersky Lab played a key role in finding 50 hackers from the Lurk group.
Bibliography of Evgeniy Kaspersky
"Computer Viruses in MS-DOS" (1992)
"Travel Notes" (2006)
“Let's celebrate the New Year in the South!” (2010)
"Machu Picchu & Muchas Pictures" (2011)
"Top 100 places in this world that you really need to see" (2012)
