To increase transparency and remove hints of association with the Russian government, Internet security firm Kaspersky Lab said it is moving a number of core infrastructure from Russia to Switzerland.
The transfer includes customer data storage and processing for most regions, as well as software assembly, including threat detection updates.
To ensure full transparency and integrity, Kaspersky Lab said it is arranging for the activity to be supervised by an independent third-party, also based in Switzerland.
The move is part of the company?s Global Transparency Initiative, announced in October 2017, which reflects Kaspersky Lab?s commitment to assuring the integrity and trustworthiness of its products.
The Internet firm said the new measures are the next steps in the development of the initiative, but they also reflect the company?s commitment to working with others to address the growing challenges of industry fragmentation and a breakdown of trust.
?Trust is essential in cybersecurity, and Kaspersky Lab understands that trust is not a given; it must be repeatedly earned through transparency and accountability,? the company said.
The new measures comprise the move of data storage and processing for a number of regions, the relocation of software assembly and the opening of the first Transparency Center.
By the end of 2019, Kaspersky Lab will have established a data center in Zurich and in this facility will store and process all information for users in Europe, North America, Singapore, Australia, Japan and South Korea, with more countries to follow.
The information is shared voluntarily by users with the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) a cloud-based system that automatically processes cyberthreat-related data.
Kaspersky Lab said will relocate to Zurich its ?software build conveyer? — a set of programming tools used to assemble ready-to-use software out of source code.
Before the end of 2018, Kaspersky Lab products and threat detection rule databases (AV databases) will start to be assembled and signed with a digital signature in Switzerland, before being distributed to the endpoints of customers worldwide.
The company said the relocation will ensure that all newly assembled software can be verified by an independent organization, and show that software builds and updates received by customers match the source code provided for audit.
The source code of Kaspersky Lab products and software updates will be available for review by responsible stakeholders in a dedicated Transparency Center that will also be hosted in Switzerland and is expected to open this year.
Kaspersky Lab said it is also arranging for the data storage and processing, software assembly, and source code to be independently supervised by a third-party qualified to conduct technical software reviews.
Commenting on the process move and transparency center opening, Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky said: ?In a rapidly changing industry such as ours, we have to adapt to the evolving needs of our clients, stakeholders and partners. Transparency is one such need, and that is why we?ve decided to redesign our infrastructure and move our data processing facilities to Switzerland. We believe such action will become a global trend for cybersecurity, and that a policy of trust will catch on across the industry as a key basic requirement.?
