Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky is a Moscow-founded, globally distributed endpoint protection and threat-intelligence vendor whose research arm (GReAT) has produced some of the industry’s most cited nation-state malware discoveries, including early public analysis of Stuxnet, Regin, and the Equation Group toolset. Founded in 1997 by Eugene Kaspersky, the company built its reputation on antivirus engine quality and threat research depth, and has more recently pushed its B2B line, Kaspersky Next, into EDR, XDR, and AI-assisted SIEM, reporting 2025 revenue of roughly $836 million with B2B product sales up 16% year over year.

The fact that cannot be separated from any evaluation of Kaspersky in a U.S. context: in June 2024 the U.S. Commerce Department issued a first-of-its-kind determination banning Kaspersky from selling antivirus and cybersecurity products or services in the United States, citing Russian government capability and intent to weaponize the company’s access for espionage. The prohibition on new U.S. sales took effect September 29, 2024, and Kaspersky formally exited the U.S. market that July. This is an independently confirmed regulatory action, not a competitor’s allegation, and it makes Kaspersky effectively unusable for any U.S.-regulated or U.S.-headquartered organization regardless of the product’s technical merit.

Outside the U.S., Kaspersky remains a large, technically capable, and commercially growing vendor, particularly in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, and its threat research continues to be referenced by the broader security community even where its products cannot be deployed. For a U.S.-focused CISO audience, Kaspersky is best understood as a case study in geopolitical supply-chain risk as much as a product to evaluate.