Heaptalk, Jakarta — Kaspersky has introduced its newly opened Transparency Center in Seoul, South Korea. Located at Kaspersky’s office, this new facility will provide various services to the company’s stakeholders, from an overview of Kaspersky’s practices to reviewing product source code.
This move is part of the company’s Global Transparency Initiative (GTI) to advance digital trust, making it the first cybersecurity company to open its source code for external review. Through this verifiable approach to product security trust, Kaspersky has allowed its stakeholders to independently review its threat detection rules, software updates, and even the source code of its services at Transparency Centers worldwide.
Kaspersky’s Transparency Center in Seoul is the fourth in the Asia-Pacific region and will welcome the company’s customers, business partners, and local regulators responsible for cybersecurity. Depending on the depth of the security assessment required, visitors can choose from one of three review options.
Adding mechanisms to enhance digital trust
In more detail, the Blue Piste review option offers an overview of Kaspersky’s product security development processes and data management practices. The Red Piste option allows for a review of the most critical aspects of the source code, with assistance from company specialists, and provides a targeted analysis of specific functionalities. Lastly, the Black Piste option enables visitors to conduct the most comprehensive source code review with the help of Kaspersky experts.
In addition, the company’s security software development documentation, including threat analysis, security reviews, application security testing processes, and software component lists, can also be examined during a visit to the Transparency Center.
“Kaspersky’s Transparency Centers are a testament to our commitment to building a more accountable cybersecurity ecosystem. With the opening of our new Transparency Center in Seoul, we believe that sharing practices with a wider community can foster greater trust in ICT solutions while contributing to the collective effort to combat global cyber threats,” said Genie Sugene Gan, Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Asia-Pacific-Japan and META regions at Kaspersky.
Furthermore, Kaspersky’s GTI has introduced additional mechanisms to enhance digital trust and drive greater accountability in the field of cybersecurity. These include relocating the storage and processing of cyber threat-related data to Zurich, Switzerland, and independent third-party reviews of its internal processes and engineering practices.
The company has also launched a Cyber Capacity Building Security Training Program, increased its bug bounty reward to up to US$100,000 for any critical vulnerabilities found in Kaspersky’s products, and published a Transparency Report disclosing information on requests received from governments, law enforcement agencies, and users for their personal data.
