Kaspersky Lab recently launched new versions of its flagship security solutions in Nepal in association with Sagar Technolink. The company introduced Kaspersky Total Security, Internet Security and Anti-Virus in the market. As per the company, the new versions provide users with additional opportunities to manage their internet protection and to ensure their data safety. Altaf Halde, Managing Director, South Asia of Kaspersky Lab was in Nepal for the launch. New Business Age caught up with Halde to talk about the newly launched products, its features, cyber security among others. Excerpts:

What are the key features of the newly launched Kaspersky products? 
Secure connection is the most significant feature of our newly launched products. Nowadays,  cyber criminals are using various loopholes in the web, computer and device security to target people via different means such as free Wi-Fi. The hackers, for instance, infect the particular networks and set-up a new network with free Wi-Fi hotspots where users are connected. The minute the users connect, the hackers will send them messages stating that they have detected that their laptops or smartphones are not compatible with the Wi-Fi and offer malicious packs to install. The minute such packs are installed, the devices will be in control of the hackers. So we have introduced security solutions which scan whether the connections are secure or not and allow users to connect only if the connections are secure. Secondly, we have introduced enhanced Safe Money browser that helps users by scanning the websites to determine whether such portals are safe to enter data or not. Next we have an application and an ad cleaner where we can address the particular threads and malicious programmes. Besides these, we have made our products much faster and user friendly.      

How Kaspersky products are different from other similar products in the market? 
Technically every product is supposed to provide users with security such as antivirus software. However, we have taken one step ahead from the conventional concept of security. We have the best detection and best cleaning capability in our products. There are many security software available in the market. Some come with costs and some provide free services as well. But the minute users install the free or low cost products, there are chances that you may not be protected by most of the particular viruses or hackers. So they are likely to start losing all their valuable data. At Kapersky Lab we do not offer 100 percent guarantee. But we come close offering users with a 100 percent guarantee as our third party test says that we are the best when it comes to detection and cleaning of cyber threats.        

What are the new challenges in cyber security?
The bad guys are increasing day by day. Earlier we used to detect 100,000 new viruses on average on a daily basis. At present, the number averages 310,000. Today everyone wants to make money in an easy and fast way.  The trend is that cyber criminals are increasing very fast. So cyber security companies need to be one step ahead of these criminals and that is what Kaspersky Lab is trying to do.

What trends do you observe the most regarding the works of cyber criminals in recent years? What are the threats you worry about most today?
Ransomware is increasing in a very big way. Across the globe, we are seeing a lot of ransomware attacks happening. Similarly, attacks on mobile devices, especially in Android devices are on top as lots of mobile malware are being installed unknowingly by Android devices users. The third is government or state sponsored attacks. There are some governments who have problems with other governments and they provide some money to the people to attack the networks. 

The increasing security threats such as rising cyber attacks, data thefts and intrusions in  recent years have left the internet security products vulnerable.  How is Kaspersky Lab tackling these problems?
As I already mentioned, there is no product in the world which will give you 100 percent guarantee. The users should be aware and protect themselves against cyber crime. Products like Kaspersky offer them the best tools. Nonetheless, increasing awareness levels is also very important as it helps users to decide whether they are protected or not. 

How important is the Nepali market for Kaspersky?
We consider Nepal to be a very important market. In South Asia we first launched our products in India and second in Nepal and then we went to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives. We were planning to make the product launch first in Nepal but due to some reasons we could not make it. We have been in partnership with Sagar Technolink for the last eight years. In fact, Kaspersky is known by Sagar here. Similarly, the market here in Nepal is increasing as internet users are growing due to which the data tariffs are coming down and the smartphones and laptops users are also on the increase. So we are spending more of our time, efforts and investments here.