Eugene Kaspersky: “Escalation of Cyber-Warfare is a Call for Action"

Woburn, MA – October 16, 2012 - Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab, named international cooperation and advanced technology as the key requirements to survive the age of cyber-warfare. In his keynote speech at the ITU Telecom World 2012 conference, Eugene Kaspersky highlighted the dangers of the cyber-arms race and showcased Kaspersky Lab’s approach to protecting vulnerable industrial systems.

 “In the long run, cyber-warfare is where all parties lose: attackers, victims and even uninvolved observers. Unlike traditional weapons, tools used in cyber-warfare are very easy to clone and reprogram by adversaries. The most important move to survive in this environment is the development and deployment of a new, advanced security paradigm for the most critical infrastructure.”

Summary:

• Traditional malware already has notable side effects on critical infrastructure
• Causes of events like the 2003 blackout in U.S. and Canada were results of both a software failure and an inability to monitor the real state of energy systems
• Furthermore, the ongoing escalation of the cyber-arms race increases this problem:
  • Stuxnet and Duqu were uncovered in 2010 and 2011
  • 2012 unveiled Gauss and Flame, as well as the targeted miniFlame tool
  • Cyber-warfare is a universal threat with no respect to borders. Its impact on the most critical industrial systems can be disastrous
  • Proper protection of vulnerable industrial systems is the top priority

In his keynote address, Eugene Kaspersky described the essential measures to protect industrial control systems. A new, secure unit to obtain trusted workflow information is the first step towards an efficient protection against cyber-warfare. In response to such challenges, Kaspersky Lab is working on a Secure Operating System, which will serve as the trusted node for Industrial Control Systems.

“We can’t let cyber-warfare stall human progress, as it threatens not only governments and businesses, but regular people as well,” commented Eugene Kaspersky after the event. “Our first priority is to make sure that cyber threats will not affect critical infrastructure. This goal has to be understood and embraced by all involved parties, on an international level.”

Read more about Kaspersky Lab’s view on security of Industrial Control Systems and essential requirements for a Secure Operating System:

In the blog post by Eugene Kaspersky: http://eugene.kaspersky.com/2012/10/16/kl-developing-its-own-operating-system-we-confirm-the-rumors-and-end-the-speculation/

In the article by the Industrial Systems Security Department of Kaspersky Lab at Securelist.com: http://www.securelist.com/en/analysis/204792248/Securing_Critical_Information_Infrastructure_Trusted_Computing_Base\

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its 15-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for consumers, SMBs and Enterprises. The company currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

*The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2010. The rating was published in the IDC report Worldwide IT Security Products 2011-2015 Forecast and 2010 Vendor Shares – December 2011. The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2010.

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