Russian-based Kaspersky recently fell victim to the cyber criminals it tries to protect users against. The security firm, known for its solid anti-virus software, had its website compromised by hackers. As a result, users trying to download Kaspersky's software were instead redirected to a malicious website which encouraged them to download fake antivirus software. Kaspersky users complained on the company's forum, though the company at first denied there had been any problems.

Kaspersky eventually confirmed an attack had hit the site on Sunday, exploiting a vulnerability in a third party app used for the website's administration. The company claimed the redirection to the fake antivirus only lasted three and a half hours, and 10 minutes after the company was notified, the affected server was taken offline.

"Currently the server is secure and fully back online, and Kaspersky products are available for download," Kaspersky told IT PRO. "Kaspersky Lab also wants to confirm that no individual's details were compromised from the company's web servers during this attack. Kaspersky Lab takes any attempt to compromise its security seriously. Our researchers are currently working on identifying any possible consequences of the attack for affected users, and are available to provide help to remove the fake antivirus software."