On April 16, a historic storm caused unprecedented flooding in Dubai. Among the thousands of people from around the world who were attempting to land in the desert city was Eugene Kaspersky, founder and CEO of cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab. The 58-year-old's flight from Moscow was not without incident: “There was turbulence throughout, so we had to land in Abu Dhabi.” After waiting several hours on the plane, he was able to leave the airport and find a car to take him to Dubai.
Russian cybersecurity experts are comparing the Dubai storm to the challenges facing their companies in the United States. His company has come under intense scrutiny in recent years over allegations of ties to the Russian government. In fact, the United States vetoed the use of Kaspersky software by government agencies in 2017, fearing Russian espionage. Now, the Biden administration is preparing to go even further, issuing an order banning U.S. companies and citizens from using his software. According to CNN, this is due to national security concerns.
When asked by EL PAÍS about the US government's accusations, Kaspersky shrugged: “There are things in the world that we cannot change.” He said: “We have to adapt to new realities such as thunderstorms. [That’s why] we keep working. ” The expert then boasts that his company “has the technology to recognize malware (malicious software) better than anything else.” We do it in real time and send what we capture over the internet to other members of the community. Companies such as McAfee and Broadcom also exchange information. It's a kind of cooperative network. ” According to this expert, failure to collaborate can reduce the quality of protection and expose users to greater risks.
The United States is not the only country that views Kaspersky with suspicion. In 2022, just two months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany's Federal Office for Information Security advised companies and users to avoid using the company's programs, citing a “considerable risk of a successful cyber attack.” I called out. Kaspersky Lab's CEO defended himself, stating that these claims are mere speculation not supported by concrete evidence.
When asked about his position on the Ukraine war and relations with the Russian government, the expert claimed that his company is an “independent cybersecurity company.”
“We are a very transparent company. [Some people] Fear that we will do something wrong. We explain to them that it is not possible, because we cannot simply be transparent.many people would do that [witness this behavior] And we were not silent,” he claimed in an interview at the Kaspersky Cyber Immunity conference, held in Dubai from April 17 to 19. EL PAÍS was invited by a cybersecurity company.
In March 2022, Kaspersky said, “War is not good for anyone.” His company has been particularly affected in the United States since Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia. “Right now, they don't need us. Business has decreased by about 50%,” he laments. But he also stressed that the accusations against his company have not had any negative impact in some countries, such as Spain. Kaspersky products are still included in his catalog of ICT security products in Spain, which serves various government agencies, and are used by the National Cryptographic Center (CCN) within the National Informatics Center.
According to Kaspersky Lab, cybercriminal activity and politically motivated attacks spiked after the Ukraine war began. “It doesn't just happen in wars. [it can happen] It can occur in the event of a major event such as an earthquake or tsunami,” the expert points out. He said he was “100% sure” there would be cyberattacks related to the Olympics, adding that cybercriminals would “take advantage of the flaws in these big events. [the purposes of] social engineering” and “more hacking attempts.”
In war, “everyone” is vulnerable to cyber-attacks: “individuals, companies, soldiers…” After the invasion of Ukraine, attacks on some companies operating in Russia increased by 1,000%. “We were watching what was happening on the Russian side, and there were large-scale attacks on various companies and public services. Many [of these attacks were attempting] Stealing and disclosing confidential data. Some were against the financial sector and infrastructure,” Kaspersky recalls.
AI falls into the wrong hands
A long time ago, Kaspersky asked itself the question, “Why do malware and hackers exist?” He has now made the answer clear. “It's because the architecture of the operating system is weak,” he explains. [behind] The latest operating system is [conceived] in the 1960s and 1970s. ” At that time, the people who primarily used computer systems were scientists and military personnel. “Cybernetics was not for the public. It was for a gentlemen's club where you knew each other, so there was no room for criminals.”
But things have changed. At his company, employees detect more than 400,000 new pieces of malware every day. “It is impossible to do this manually,” Kaspersky points out. For this, they use machine learning systems. “The good news is that we are using artificial intelligence to detect malware. The bad news is that criminals also use it for their own purposes.” For him, the dangers of artificial intelligence and This is exactly what it means to fall into the wrong hands.
Although automated systems are used, the malware-based criminal business involves “hundreds of thousands of people.” The expert admits, “I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that 100,000 people are involved in developing malicious code.” The typical profile of a person involved in a cyber attack is a software engineer who is between 20 and 30 years old. [of hackers] Some are young, others from 14 to 60 years old,” Kaspersky clarified.
Usually behind all these attacks is a “complex” organization operating as a “company”. Kaspersky said it has dedicated departments for each step of the process, from attack design to ransom negotiation. “Often these people don't know each other. They only know each other by nicknames… [they’re in contact with each other]But they have never met in person. ”
Some cybercrime groups specialize in specific types of attacks and focus on specific regions. “When we're talking about ransomware, most of the time [the actors] they speak Russian.If we talk about [those who run] Botnets and backdoors, most of which speak Chinese.And when it comes to financial fraud, for the most part [of perpetrators] I speak Spanish and Portuguese,” he elaborates.
He said there's a reason Chinese hackers don't create much ransomware, a type of malware that locks a victim's data or device and threatens to keep it locked unless they pay money. “Ransomware often demands cryptocurrencies, and cryptocurrencies are banned” in China. Therefore, Chinese cybercriminals cannot monetize them. ”
mobile phone without application
To combat threats in the cyber world, Kaspersky Lab is developing its own mobile phone. Kaspersky's own company is developing it for him. It's still a prototype. “The camera isn't working yet, so it's not very smart,” Kaspersky admits. He used to have an old Nokia. Besides Telegram, there are few applications on mobile his device. But Kaspersky doesn't care. “I don't have time for it anyway,” he shrugged.
When I use social media or upload content to my travel blog, I always use the computer I have with me. But how does he take photos if his phone's camera doesn't work? The answer is in his backpack. He unzipped it and proudly pulled out a large camera. “I'm no professional…but some of my photos are pretty good,” he smiles.
To protect ourselves in everyday life, Kaspersky Lab avoids revealing personal information on social media. Additionally, he only gives out his phone number to people he knows well and respects his time zone. “I don't want to get a call at 5 in the morning,” he grumbles.
For him, the main mistake users make is “trusting everyone on the internet.” Experts have warned that criminals, especially in Latin America, are using deepfakes to trick people with fake audio and images. We recommend having up-to-date security products on your device to avoid becoming a victim of attacks and fraud. He also emphasizes something even more important. “Don't trust anyone online, especially now in the age of deepfakes.”
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