Eugene Kaspersky has had an interesting, varied life, with more than his share of adventures, successes and challenges. He's seen and done a lot, but when he learned that he was going to receive an honorary degree from Plymouth University in England he was taken aback. Excited, yes, and humbled, sure. But also somewhat surprised because, to his way of thinking, if the CEO of a security company is important enough to receive such an honor, it's not a good sign for the direction things are going with online attacks.
In an interview just before the ceremony in Plymouth, UK, last week, Kaspersky discussed the current state of cybersecurity, the biggest threats to consumers in the coming months and years and whether international cybercrime laws are ever going to improve.
Threatpost: What was your first thought when you got the news that you were getting the honorary degree?
Eugene Kaspersky: My first thought was, Are you serious? I was surprised. But it was great news and I'm very proud to receive such an award. I wasn't waiting for such an award. It's really unexpected. I got an award from the president of Russia for science and technology, and when I found out about that we were in New York and for about half a day I was walking around so proud. I had the same feeling for this. My second thought was, if someone in security is this important, something is wrong. It means attacks are getting worse and worse.
