Under scrutiny, Kaspersky Lab considers changes to U.S. subsidiary https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-u...iders-changes-to-u-s-subsidiary-idUKKCN1BN1YV
"U.S. bans use of Kaspersky software in federal agencies amid concerns of Russian espionage. The U.S. government on Wednesday banned the use of a Russian brand of security software by federal agencies amid concerns the company has ties to state-sponsored cyberespionage activities, according to U.S. officials... Acting Homeland Security secretary Elaine Duke ordered that Kaspersky Lab software be barred from federal government networks, ...Duke ordered the scrub on the grounds that the company has connections to the Russian government and its software poses a security risk. The directive comes months after the federal General Services Administration, the agency in charge of government purchasing, removed Kaspersky from its list of approved vendors. In doing so, the GSA suggested a vulnerability exists in Kaspersky that could give the Kremlin backdoor access to the systems the company protects... At least a half-dozen federal agencies run Kaspersky on their networks, the U.S. officials said, although there may be other networks where an agency’s chief information security officer — the official ultimately responsible for systems security — might not be aware it is being used... Richard Ledgett, former NSA deputy director, hailed the move. .. he noted that Kaspersky, like other Russian companies, is 'bound to comply with the directive of Russian state security services, by law, to share with them information from their servers'... The directive will also put pressure on state and local governments that use Kaspersky’s products....” https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...b717d0-989e-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html
Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Symantec, Microsoft, Apple, Cisco....etc, like other US companies, are 'bound to comply with the directive of US state security services, by law, to share with them information from their servers'. In the UK, the Investigatory Powers Act demands that all Communications Services Providers (anyone who provides software or facilities including communication, IOW all software vendors), have to comply (under gag), with orders made by the government - which is leading quite a few start-ups to decamp to less hostile jurisdictions.
Over 120 companies use Kaspersky's antivirus engine under licence in their own software, including Microsoft. Is the government going to ban them too?
If this goes on I will have no American software in my potential buying list... I hope Symantec won't follow suite. I have always respected them...
So the only way the US Government has of dealing with the potential security issue of AV software that sends telemetry back to its servers is to instigate a public hate campaign against the software vendor? Great. Did it not occur to them that ALL anti malware products do the same and therefore ANY anti malware product installed in a Government network with internet access is inherently insecure? Did it also not occur to them that if Kaspersky was a popular choice amongst government IT people then maybe they ought to contact Kaspersky to discuss the possibility of a security critical version of the AV that does not send telemetry outside the network? Or perhaps put to tender a contract to provide AV for the US Government with criteria that included no telemetry ? But hell, why do all that when a hate campaign against the Russians is so much more...... Hateful!! I mean really, its bad enough to have created a society that favors wealth over intelligence but doesn't that seem so much worse when those who are in positions of authority because of that fact, demonstrate both their ignorance and their abject stupidity, unashamedly to the entire world!!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/...column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news Looks like it's "KIS Kaspersky goodbye time."
Still no proof provided. Just bought a 5 user KTS license. Using it until someone provides actual evidence. Someone must still be mad about the Microsoft lawsuit.
Agree. At the very least, anything that has that amount of access to your HD has got to be questionable.
https://thehackernews.com/2017/10/kaspersky-nsa-russian-hackers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheHackersNews+(The+Hackers+News+-+Security+Blog) https://arstechnica.com/information...fied-its-av-to-help-russia-steal-nsa-secrets/
"Germany: 'No evidence' Kaspersky software used by Russians for hacks BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s BSI federal cyber agency said on Wednesday it had no evidence to back media reports that Russian hackers used Kaspersky Lab antivirus software to spy on U.S. authorities... 'There are no plans to warn against the use of Kaspersky products since the BSI has no evidence for misconduct by the company or weaknesses in its software,' BSI said in an emailed response to questions about the latest media reports... 'The BSI has no indications at this time that the process occurred as described in the media.'..." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ware-used-by-russians-for-hacks-idUSKBN1CG284
"Kaspersky Lab to open software to review, says nothing to hide (Reuters) - Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab will ask independent parties to review the security of its anti-virus software, which the U.S. government has said could jeopardize national security, citing concerns over Kremlin influence and hijacking by Russian spies. ...Kaspersky] said in a statement that it would submit the source code of its software and future product updates for review by a broad cross-section of computer security experts and government officials... It also vowed to have outside parties review other aspects of its business, including software development. Reviews of its software, which is used on some 400 million computers worldwide, will begin by the first quarter of next year, it said..." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-to-review-says-nothing-to-hide-idUSKBN1CS0Y1
I wonder who these US Government officials are, that make these accusations. I think Eugene Kasperskey is out of their league, he's going to make them all look pretty stupid by the end of this.
Since K is no stranger to litigation, how come its legal team hasn't initiated something with slander and defamation in it by now? Particularly involving Vipre, which has undoubtedly profited from its flamboyant anti-Kaspersky campaign. I would find litigation more compelling an argument for "innocence" than business/software reviews. No? Still like and support K, but it's getting kind of hard with this barrage of accusations, though still without solid facts for the end user.
Sounds good to me, and I believe that Kaspersky Labs hasn't got any ill intentions, but I wish the same could be said about certain agencies, not only in Russia. I feel the same, I really want to trust them, but it's getting quite hard.
I don't believe anything government people say anymore. They think their job is to lie "for the greater good," which is by their own definition of what is good or not. So until proven otherwise, I'll continue to trust Eugene Kaspersky.
Most antivirus security companies are pressed by US government agencies to embed backdoor facilities in their software for them, something they are forbidden to disclose. It is my guess that Kaspersky has refused to give in to it, so the US agencies have launched a campaign against them.
I totally understand this crusade against Kaspersky, it is one of the few vendors that actually do proper research and has the capabilities to stop Nation State Actors; many others vendors are too busy copying Kaspersky signatures or receiving NSA funds to care about state malwares.
Kaspersky May Have Found How Russian Hackers Stole NSA Data http://www.securityweek.com/kaspersky-may-have-found-how-russian-hackers-stole-nsa-data