Kaspersky Antivirus Son Kidnapped, Held for Ransom

According to news agencies, Kaspersky Antivirus founder Eugene Kaspersky's son has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom in Russia. Unconfirmed reports, including a bulletin from BBC News, state that 20-year-old Ivan Kaspersky was nabbed while on his way to work.

Eugene Kaspersky is the founder of Moscow-based security company Kaspersky Labs, a world leader in software designed to protect PCs from viruses and malware. The firm says its products are currently being used by more than 300 million people around the world, making it the third-largest security software company in the world.

Annual revenues for the firm grew 42 per cent over the last year, projecting Kaspersky Labs to a fifth-place ranking in terms of software revenues from sales of enterprise security software. (Source: pcworld.com)

Kaspersky a Very Wealthy Man

Of course, all of this means that Kaspersky Labs' founder, Eugene Kaspersky, is worth a heck of a lot of money.

His efforts in reducing malware and virus attacks in Russia and Asia have earned him various national accolades, including the Russian State Award and the People's Republic of China Friendship Award, both in 2009. It's believed Kaspersky is worth an estimated $800 million. (Source: msn.com)

Reports say that Ivan Kaspersky has been missing since at least Tuesday, and that both the Russian secret service and other law enforcement agencies are currently trying to find him. BBC says the kidnappers are demanding the senior Kaspersky pay a ransom of $4.3 million to secure his son's return.

Kaspersky Keeping Quiet

Attempts by the media to elicit a comment from Kaspersky's American operations have failed, with no one at the company willing to offer any information on the sensitive matter.

Not everyone is convinced something is wrong. Prominent security expert Graham Cluley, technology consultant for Sophos Labs, claims he recently spoke to a relaxed Eugene Kaspersky. "I spoke to Eugene last night and he was very chirpy," Cluley told reporters. (Source: pcmag.com)