About
Eugene Kaspersky, also known as Yevgeny Valentinovich Kaspersky, is a Russian cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and chief executive officer of Kaspersky, the cybersecurity company originally founded as Kaspersky Lab in 1997. Born on 4 October 1965 in Novorossiysk, then part of the Soviet Union, Kaspersky studied mathematical engineering and computer technology and trained in cryptography before building a career in computer security.
Kaspersky’s entry into cybersecurity began in 1989, when his computer was infected by the Cascade virus. He analysed the malware, created a removal tool and later began developing anti-virus modules. That work became the foundation for Kaspersky’s early malware detection database. In the early 1990s, he worked with other researchers on the AVP Toolkit Pro anti-virus programme, which gained wider attention after being recognised in testing by the University of Hamburg.
Kaspersky Lab was established in 1997, with Eugene Kaspersky initially leading its anti-virus research. He became CEO in 2007. Under his leadership, the company expanded from an anti-virus software developer into a global cybersecurity vendor, with research teams investigating major cyber threats including Stuxnet, Flame and Red October.
Kaspersky has also been a public speaker on cybersecurity and an advocate of stronger international cooperation against cybercrime. He holds an honorary Doctorate of Science from Plymouth University, United Kingdom. The company has faced scrutiny from some Western governments over alleged links to Russia, allegations it has repeatedly denied.