Russia cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab announced that threat-related data shared by European users will now be processed in two data centers located in Zurich, Switzerland along with the opening of the company’s first Transparency Center, Sky News reports.
These moves initiate the first part of a relocation commitment made by the company in late 2017 as part of its Global Transparency Initiative.
From November 13, malicious and suspicious files shared by users of Kaspersky Lab products in Europe will start to be processed in two “world-class facilities in compliance with industry standards to ensure the highest levels of security.” The data, which users have actively chosen to share with Kaspersky Lab, includes suspicious or previously unknown malicious files and corresponding meta-data that the company’s products send to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) for automated malware analysis.
The Russian firm said in May that it planned to relocate its key activities to Switzerland, in an attempt to regain the trust of its consumers. Switzerland is among the world’s top locations in terms of the number of secure internet servers available, and it has an international reputation as an innovative center for data processing and high quality IT infrastructure, the statement said.
Kaspersky Lab has been under scrutiny in an escalating conflict in cyberspace between the United States and Russia regarding its alleged ties to Russian intelligence. Last year the U.S. Department of Homeland Security banned federal agencies from using Kaspersky software on concerns that its software, used by companies and governments globally, might provide a secret backdoor into users’ computers for Russian intelligence officials.
The Russian-based company has been accused of being a vehicle for hackers to steal security secrets from the U.S. National Security Agency. The company’s founder, Eugene Kaspersky, has vehemently denied any connections to the Russian authorities.
