Son of antivirus maker Kaspersky reportedly kidnapped, released safely

The son of Yevgeny Kaspersky was kidnapped in Moscow on April 19, 2011 while on his way to work at the company InfoWatch, owned by Kaspersky's ex-wife Natalya. Secret service and regular police searched for 20-year-old Ivan Kaspersky but could not locate him. On April 22, 2011 he was released by his abductors, according to the Russian website Life News.

As soon as Yevgeny learned that his son was in the hands of kidnappers, he immediately flew from London to Moscow. The Russian father reportedly has multiple well-connected friends since he finished high school with many who worked for the KGB. The kidnappers apparently demanded €3 million ($4.36 million) for Ivan's safe return. Yevgeny's personal fortune is estimated at $800 million, and while it's not clear how much of the ransom he paid, he supposedly gave in and some sum of money exchanged for Ivan.

Yevgeny co-founded the Kaspersky Lab, a privately held international company that produces antivirus and other computer security products, in 1997. Excluding the energy sector, Kaspersky Lab is considered one of Russia's few international business success stories. The company makes excellent security software and I have personally recommended some of its products a few times. Kaspersky Lab was told, likely by Yevgeny himself, not to comment on the story of the abduction.

This is a sad story that thankfully concluded with a happy ending. Whether the kidnappers were paid or not, we here at TechSpot are happy that Ivan has been returned safely to his family.