Russia, Interpol to tackle cyberthreats

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MOSCOW, March 22 (UPI) -- Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab will set up a division on cybercrime with Interpol, Chief Executive Officer Yevgeny Kaspersky said Friday.

Kaspersky Lab last month detected the Red October malware trying to embed itself into computer systems said to contain intelligence information. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was a need to set up a system to protect computer systems in Russia from cyberattacks.

Kaspersky said the company would act as a consultant to Interpol on cyberdefense strategies.

"I've been calling for the creation of a so-called 'Internet Interpol' for many years, and now it has finally happened," he told state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.

James Clapper, the top U.S. intelligence official, told the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that a major cyberattack on the United States posed a graver and more immediate threat than terrorism.

Cyberattacks have recently hijacked targets ranging from Iran's nuclear program to The New York Times. South Korean banks and television stations were knocked offline by a malware attack this week.

Kaspersky said the joint task force would start operating from Singapore next year.