Kaspersky’s statement on the FIRST membership suspension

Kaspersky ICS CERT received a letter from FIRST, notifying that its membership has been temporarily suspended. Kaspersky is disappointed by this decision and believes that it hurts the international community of experts and the cybersecurity industry as a whole by calling into question the fundamental principle of trust.

The principles of impartiality, objectivity and open cooperation between experts and organizations from different countries were laid out decades ago. They have become the cornerstone of modern information security approaches, technologies, products and services. These principles must be safeguarded so the word “security” has a chance to remain in the name of the industry.

We wholeheartedly disagree with FIRST’s decision and look forward to a constructive discussion on the issue, both within the Forum and beyond. We share FIRST’s stated ideas and principles in their entirety and consider it our duty to help defend them in order to preserve the international cybersecurity community.