4/9/2023 0 Comments Kaspersky antivirus![]() ![]() Government agencies aren't the only ones cutting ties. Certainly, identifying Kaspersky as a risk to national security is a strong statement. ![]() The FCC reports basing this action on the earlier DHS ban on Kaspersky, not on new evidence, but it's always possible these agencies have evidence that they just can't share. ![]() The FCC maintains a "Covered List" of companies "that are deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons." Kaspersky is among the latest additions to this list, along with a few Chinese telecom carriers. This advice doesn't come with any evidence of wrongdoing, just a suspicion that Kaspersky might be forced into letting its products become conduits for cyberattacks, a suspicion that Kaspersky vigorously denies (Opens in a new window). Taking a page from the US government's playbook, Germany's cyber authority has advised citizens and organizations to stop using Kaspersky's products. It's hard to blame Kaspersky for failing to disengage when CloudFlare won't. In addition, CloudFlare has declined requests from Ukraine (Opens in a new window) to stop working with Russian companies. The well-known security company CloudFlare offers a similar service, mostly for Western companies. It's true that the evidence here doesn’t prove more than a business relationship. ![]() Kaspersky’s Business branch offers a service to protect client websites against DDoS attacks and other web-based dangers, and the Russian government is one such client. Critics point out that IP addresses for websites such as the Russian military’s mil.ru point to servers owned by Kaspersky. Kaspersky has recently taken flak for protecting Russian government websites (Opens in a new window) and sites belonging to assets such as TASS, GazPromBank, and the state-owned TV network. It's Surprisingly Easy to Be More Secure Online Neither the NSA nor any other US agency took further action because it’s not against the law to obtain classified data by accident. When the company’s researchers realized what they had received, they immediately deleted it. Like most antivirus tools, Kaspersky forwards suspicious files to the cloud for analysis, including this sensitive file. An NSA consultant, against protocol, copied the document to his own laptop, which was protected by Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Prior to this policy, in 2017, the Department of Homeland Security issued a Binding Operational Directive instructing federal agencies to discontinue all use of Kaspersky (Opens in a new window) products.Īround that time there was an incident, cited by some as evidence of malfeasance by Kaspersky, involving a secret NSA document. Kaspersky remained fully available to you, me, and any other American individuals. The policy didn’t come with a list of justifications, and it affected only government entities. In September of 2019, the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council put forth a policy forbidding federal agencies (Opens in a new window) to purchase Kaspersky products. This isn’t the first time Kaspersky has come under fire for its Russian origins. These bans, blacklistings, and censures still don't come with any hard evidence of inappropriate behavior, but their sheer volume begins to add up. Even bug bounty and report clearinghouse HackerOne has banned Kaspersky. Kaspersky's situation continues to worsen, with additional US government agencies, as well as overseas agencies, blacklisting the company. Why, then, would anyone consider buying antivirus protection from (as one reader put it) “a goddamn Russian company” like Kaspersky? Major credit card providers have suspended operations in Russia, and global banking exchange Swift has cut off Russian banks. You can’t watch Netflix in Novgorod, buy Intel chips in Irkutsk, or dine at McDonalds in Moscow. How to Set Up Two-Factor AuthenticationĪs the war in Ukraine intensifies, both in the physical and cyber arenas, many Western companies are cutting ties with Russia in protest.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages. ![]()
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