Kaspersky Lab announces the launch of the Global Transparency Initiative as part of its ongoing commitment to protecting its customers from digital threats, regardless of their origin or purpose. Through this initiative, Kaspersky Lab will engage the broader IT security community and other stakeholders in validating and verifying the reliability of its products, internal processes and business operations, as well as introducing additional accountability mechanisms with which the company can demonstrate that it is promptly and effectively addressing any security issue.
As part of the initiative, the company intends to provide the source code of its software – including software updates and threat detection rule updates – for independent review and assessment.
As society today becomes increasingly dependent on information and communication technologies (ICT), digital threats continue to multiply and evolve. Due to the frantic pace of development of both ICT and the threat landscape, Kaspersky Lab believes that collaboration on cybersecurity is more important than ever. Trust is essential for digital security and, therefore, trust must be the cornerstone of any cooperation among those seeking to protect users, organizations, and businesses from digital threats. However, Kaspersky Lab acknowledges that trust is not a given; it must be earned repeatedly through a continuous commitment to transparency and accountability.
The Global Transparency Initiative of Kaspersky Lab is a confirmation of the company's commitment to earn and maintain the trust of its customers and partners daily. The company has never taken this trust for granted, but continuously strives to improve in every possible way.
The initial phase of the Global Transparency Initiative of Kaspersky Lab will include:
(1) The commencement of an independent review of the company's source code by the first quarter of 2018, with similar reviews of the company's software updates and threat detection rules to follow.
(2) The commencement of an independent assessment (i) of the company's secure development lifecycle processes and (ii) of risk mitigation strategies for its software and supply chain, by the first quarter of 2018.
(3) The development of additional controls that will govern the company's data processing practices in coordination with an independent body that will certify the company's compliance with those controls by the first quarter of 2018.
(4) Creation of three Transparency Centers worldwide, with plans to establish the first in 2018, to address any security issues jointly with customers, trusted partners and government bodies. The centers will provide the company's trusted partners easy access to code assessments, software updates and threat detection rules, as well as other activities. The Transparency Centers will open in Asia, Europe and the US by 2020.
(5) The increase of bug bounty rewards that reach up to $100,000 for the most serious vulnerabilities found in the Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure program of the company, to further encourage independent security researchers to supplement our vulnerability detection and mitigation efforts until the end of 2017.
In addition to launching this initial phase of the Global Transparency Initiative, Kaspersky Lab looks forward to working with stakeholders and the IT security community to determine what the next phase of the initiative should be – starting in the second half of 2018. Suggestions for further steps and applications from third parties interested in working with the company are welcome at: transparency@kaspersky.com.
Commenting on the need for this new initiative, Eugene Kaspersky, President and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, said: “The Balkanization of the Internet benefits no one but cybercriminals. Reduced cooperation between countries aids the bad guys in their activities, and public-private partnerships are not working as they should. The Internet was created to bring people together and share knowledge. Digital security knows no borders, but the attempt to introduce national borders into cyberspace is counterproductive and must stop. We need to restore trust in the relationships between companies, governments and citizens. That is why we are launching the Global Transparency Initiative: we want to show that we are completely open and transparent. We have nothing to hide. And I believe that with these actions we will be able to overcome mistrust and support our commitment to protecting people in any country on our planet!
Kaspersky Lab will regularly share details of the Initiative's progress and its additional activities. Working with various stakeholders, Kaspersky Lab hopes that its customers and partners will take part in this journey.
You can find more information about Kaspersky Lab's transparency principles here: https://www.kaspersky.com/about/transparency
