Is Kaspersky Lab a military unit?

Question

In this article, McClatchy DC bureau claims that one of the certificates the Kaspersky Lab received from Russian FSB/KGB reveals that the entire Kaspersky Lab joint-stock company is actually a FSB military unit #43753.

Kaspersky Lab is a company that develops antivirus software, available worldwide at retail and online shops.

So, the question: Is Kaspersky Lab a military unit?

Answer 1

While there's no proof, this seems like an incorrect assertion.

1. Based on the wording, this most likely seems like either a typo (or simply a rather grammatically-challenged typist); or simply two independent targets to give certificate to (probably, the vendor and the asking unit).

   • The latter appears to have evidence backing it up by a series of similar certificates, both covering two entities but NOT always Unit 43753), linked in a comment by @Joker_vD below.

   • If it's the former case (wrong wording):

     The document structure seems to be "Issued <<BY XXX>> <<TO YYY>>" - where "By XXX" is the FSB Unit 43753 and "To YYY" is Kaspersky lab.

     Except that whoever typed it, typed "войсковой части 43753" (which is a wrong inclination) instead of "войсковой частью 43753" (the latter is "by whom" the former is "to whom").

     Based on the rest of the evidence presented below; the hypothesis that this is a (more likely) two recipients or (less likely) a grammar issue, as opposed to an accidental leak, is more likely.

   ---

2. There appear to be evidence of similar certification of other antivirus products, here's one for "Dr. Web" issued several years ago:

   (in all fairness, this could have been a clever photoshop to remove suspicion from Kaspersky... but in that case the original image could be a clever photoshop to cast suspicion on Kaspersky... so let's not assume photoshopping either way or the question becomes meaningless).

   Note that this other certificate:

   • Is dated couple of years yearlier (and version of software matches the date roughly).

   • Is in color whereas the one OP included is black/white.

   • Is a much better quality scan.

   It'd be quite hard to photoshop this one from OP's Kaspersky one (or vice versa, really).

   

   More importantly, there seems to exist a series of similar certificates, both covering two entities but NOT always Unit 43753, linked in a comment by @Joker_vD below.

   • Two entities neither of which is Kaspersky or military unit

   • Kaspersky labs and an actual Federal Security Bureau unit

   ---

3. Unit 43753 appears like a big spender.

   It issued a whole boatload of tenders, both the amount and specific tenders match up with a possible NSA-like unit (e.g. people in charge of signals intelligence).

   Here's a sample tender from that DB for 2017:

   Поставка специального программного обеспечения для проведения анализа информации, хранящейся в мобильных устройствах (Delivery of special software for analysis of information stored in mobile devices)

   ---

4. There's a large trail of e-documentation for 'ФГКУ "ВОЙСКОВАЯ ЧАСТЬ 43753"'

   The profile definitely does NOT match Kaspersky labs... but would match sigint part of FSB. Contract list.

---

5. Also, while not a proof, but seriously, can a military unit be a Limited Liability Corporation (which Dr Web is) or closed joint-stock company (which is what Kaspersky Labs is)? Doesn't make almost any sense in any state I can think of, least of all Russian FSB.