Russian Spying: Emails Show Possible Ties Between Kaspersky Lab, Russian Government Agencies

Internal emails from Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab published by Bloomberg Businessweek suggest the company has much closer ties to the Russian government and intelligence agencies than it has previously claimed.

A number of emails, dated October 2009, show a conversation between Kaspersky Lab founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky and senior staff at the company. Within the messages, Kaspersky details a project the company undertook at the apparent request of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation.

Read: CEO Of Kaspersky Agrees To Give U.S. Government Source Code To Security Products

In the emails, Kaspersky describes the project, done in secret during the year prior, as a “big request on the Lubyanka side.” Lubyanka is the name of the building that houses part of the FSB and was once the headquarters of the KGB—the security agency for the Soviet Union prior to its dissolution.

According to Bloomberg, Kaspersky was referencing a piece of software developed by his security company designed to protect against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The software was used by a number of clients including Russian government organizations.

In additional to creating the security tool, Kaspersky reportedly agreed to work with internet hosting companies to spot had actors and work to block their attacks. Kaspersky advised his staff to keep secret the “active countermeasures” taken by the security firm.

“The project includes both technology to protect against attacks (filters) as well as interaction with the hosters (‘spreading’ of sacrifice) and active countermeasures (about which, we keep quiet) and so on,” Kaspersky wrote, while also stating the company planned to turn the DDoS protection into a product sold to businesses—which it has since started to do.

Read: Russian Spying: U.S. Officials Concerned Kaspersky Lab May Be Compromised By Russian Government

The countermeasures in question reportedly go beyond the type of service a cybersecurity company would provide. According to Bloomberg, Kaspersky’s anti-DDoS software provided the FSB with real-time intelligence monitoring on the location of an attacker. The firm also sent experts with FSB agents to conduct raids at the homes of the supposed attackers.

The project lead on the DDoS service was Kaspersky Lab chief legal officer Igor Chekunov, who once served as a member of law enforcement and worked for the KGB. He is also believed to be in charge of offering support to the FSB and other Russian agencies, including helping gather data and identify attackers.

Another Kaspersky Lab employee, Ruslan Stoyanov, supposedly helped develop the technology that was used in the anti-DDoS software. Stoyanov also reportedly rode along with Russian agents on raids and previously worked for the Russia’s Interior Ministry’s cybercrime unit.

Stoyanov and a senior FSB cyber investigator were arrested earlier this year by the Russian government and charged with treason for supposedly cooperating with the U.S. government.

“When statements are taken out of context, anything can be manipulated to serve an agenda,” the company told Bloomberg. “Kaspersky Lab has always acknowledged that it provides appropriate products and services to governments around the world to protect those organizations from cyberthreats, but it does not have any unethical ties or affiliations with any government, including Russia.”

Earlier this month, Kaspersky Lab said it would allow the United States government examine the source code of his company’s products to prove Kaspersky Lab has no ties to the Russian government. The company has come under fire from a number of U.S. officials who have suggested the products should not be trusted.