The Kaspersky equation

THERE is more than one reason to harbour doubts about Eugene Kaspersky and the computer-security company that bears his name. He graduated from an institute close to the KGB and later worked for the Red Army. He has called Edward Snowden, the whistle-blower, a “traitor” for having broken his contract with his former employer, America’s National Security Agency (NSA). And, like many an executive in his industry, his regular warnings about big, emerging cyber-threats just happen to be good for drumming up business.

However, Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly impressed sceptics by exposing genuine and serious cyber-security problems. In 2010, for instance, it helped uncover Stuxnet, a computer worm designed to sabotage the Iranian nuclear programme.