Kaspersky Labs confirms release of founder's kidnapped son

Kaspersky Labs has confirmed that the kidnapped son of founder Eugene Kaspersky was freed unharmed from his captors by Russian law enforcement officials as well as the company's own security personnel.

Kaspersky Labs on Sunday confirmed that the kidnapped son of founder Eugene Kaspersky was freed unhurt from his captors by Russian law enforcement officials as well as the company's own security personnel.

A statement from the Moscow-based security vendor said that an operation to free Ivan Kaspersky was carried out successfully by Russia'a Federal Security Service, its Criminal Investigation Department, Moscow Police and company personnel.

"Ivan is alive and well and is currently located at a safe location. No ransom was paid during the rescue operation," the company said.

The statement marks the first official response from the company since news of the kidnapping first broke last week. The reports, including one from BBC News , were based on unconfirmed stories reported in Russian newspapers about the kidnapping.

According to those reports, Kaspersky, 20, was on his way to work when he was snatched by kidnappers, who allegedly demanded nearly US$4.3 million (NZ$5.3 million) for his return.

On Friday, the same papers that reported the kidnapping announced that Kaspersky's son had been released unharmed. Many of the stories reported that a ransom had been paid, an assertion the company has now denied.

Kaspersky Labs had refused to comment on the reports and instead called on the media to stop speculating about events related to the Kaspersky family. Sunday's statement marks the first official confirmation of the incident.

Kaspersky Labs claims more than 300 million customers of its products -- mostly consumers -- worldwide. Last week, market research firm Gartner listed Kapersky as the third-largest consumer software vendor in the world. The company is ranked fifth worldwide in terms of software revenues from sales of enterprise security software, according to Gartner.

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