Kaspersky to process and store data of its customers from the United States and Canada in Switzerland

14 November 2019

Kaspersky is progressing with the relocation of its data storage and processing infrastructure to Switzerland, now by moving data from customers from the United States and Canada. In addition, the company is announcing plans to open its first Latin American Transparency Center in São Paulo, Brazil in January 2020.

As a leading global cybersecurity company, Kaspersky has always been committed to the most trustworthy and strongest protection of its customers’ data. Moreover, the company has been continuously working to improve customer security by building effective data protection based on digital trust. Therefore, as part of its Global Transparency Initiative, Kaspersky has been adapting its data storage and processing infrastructure by moving core processes from Russia to Switzerland – starting with European users.

The company is now taking the next step by announcing that data from customers of the United States and Canada will also be moved and processed in Switzerland. This data is shared voluntarily with the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) – an advanced, cloud-based system that automatically processes cyberthreat-related data. This includes suspicious or previously unknown malicious files that the company’s products send to KSN for automated malware analysis.

“All of us want to protect our own data. That is an understandable demand in our digital world. But we need to know that we can trust our own choices in digital technology, like smartphones, laptops, mobile applications or cybersecurity solutions. Trust needs to be earned, and at Kaspersky we believe any company needs to constantly improve transparency and accountability in cyberspace. We are glad to proceed further with our big infrastructure project and, as promised, moving other regions in addition to European customers, whose data is processed in Swiss data centers," commented Anton Shingarev, Vice-President for Public Affairs at Kaspersky.

The company’s announcement was made at the Paris Peace Forum 2019, a second edition of an international global event that Kaspersky has supported as an early signatory of the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace.

Eugene Kaspersky at the Paris Peace Forum.

In addition, Kaspersky has announced plans to open a new Transparency Center in Latin America. It’s been exactly one year since the company established its first Transparency Center in Zurich – a dedicated security facility for trusted partners to review the company’s source code – and it proved to be an important and necessary tool for both existing and prospective Kaspersky customers to increase their confidence and trust in cybersecurity products and services.

Delivering on customers’ needs, earlier this year the company opened one more European Transparency Center in Madrid and announced the opening of its APAC Transparency Center in Malaysia, in addition to adding extended functionalities to the facilities. Kaspersky provides its visitors with the possibility to learn more about engineering and data-processing practices, as well as its product portfolio. At all of Kaspersky’s Transparency Centers, the company provides the opportunity to compile the company’s software from its source code and compare it with the publicly available one. This move assures an unprecedented level of confidence in Kaspersky’s products, allowing them to run a compilation process with the assistance of the company’s experts.

“Our specifically developed ‘three-layer’ approach to security briefings has proved successful since it provides each partner with the most appropriate and needed type of support. From sharing our transparency and data processing practices, to conducting a hardcore comprehensive source code review, we provide our partners with the information they need. No single cybersecurity vendor has gone as far in terms of transparency over its processes and technologies, and we are happy to take a lead to make the entire industry more open and reliable,” comments Mr. Shingarev.

Also, Kaspersky has been continuously working on its Bug Bounty Program. Since March 2018, the company has received and resolved 66 bugs. In total, 20 reports were rewarded with combined bounties totaling $45,350.