Kaspersky statement on PC Pro article

By Kaspersky Lab

Posted on 15 Mar 2010 at 15:13

On 12 March 2010, PC Pro published an article entitled Security is Priority Number 20 or 30 for Microsoft.

Kaspersky Lab wishes to state that this article contained a number of quotations by Eugene Kaspersky that were presented in a manner completely out of context with his original intent. Additionally, the article draws a number of conclusions based upon these quotations that were subsequently erroneous.

In particular, the article says that Eugene Kaspersky has “blasted” Microsoft Security Essentials, a free security solution. In reality, Eugene Kaspersky simply remarked that this solution serves a particular niche, that of a basic PC security solution, as is clearly evident from the solution’s name.

Eugene Kaspersky observed that the Microsoft brand is generally seen by most users as a diverse business and therefore IT security solutions are not its sole priority. In the article, Eugene Kaspersky’s words were misinterpreted, and thus it appeared that he was implying that Microsoft is a company that neglects their users' general security.

Additionally, the article says that “Kaspersky admitted that his company has bulked out the number of features in its security suite to deliberately distance the product from Microsoft’s free package”. This conclusion is also incorrect.

Kaspersky Lab has never enhanced the functionality of their products in order to “distance” themselves from any other company. All the advances that have been introduced into the company’s products have been aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of the product in protecting its users from computer threats. This fact is borne out by the state-of-the-art technologies developed by Kaspersky Lab’s experts, many of which have become recognized industry standards, and some remaining completely unique within the industry. Although the company’s products incorporate an ever-expanding range of technologies, these products remain among the best performing and the least resource-intensive on the market, a claim which is fully supported by a number of public tests by authoritative independent labs all across the world.

“Microsoft invests enormous effort in improving the level of security provided to their users," said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab.

"The modern versions of Windows are amongst the most secure and reliable operating systems on the market, which is ensured through consistent development by the company’s experts. These achievements are even more impressive when viewed against the backdrop of the immense diversity and the massive popularity enjoyed by Microsoft’s products.

"I cannot name any other IT company capable of manufacturing this many software products with such a wide range of functionalities and complexities, whilst rigidly ensuring the security of the user. The release of ‘Microsoft Security Essentials’ free solution onto the market is a very important step towards improving the general health of the Internet and increasing the level of protection for those users who do not have a comprehensive security product installed."

"I am proud of our longstanding business and technological partnership with Microsoft. It is beneficial both to our companies and to the users of our products alike."

Kaspersky Lab expresses its thanks to PC Pro for providing the company with an opportunity to clarify its position before the readership of such an esteemed publication.