VOTE TO BAN KASPERSKY IRKS RUSSIA
DoD urged to drop contracts with firm
The Russians are threatening to retaliate if U.S. lawmakers try to ban the cybersecurity company Kaspersky Labs from Pentagon software contracts.
Russian Communications Minister Nikolay Nikiforov said in an interview with Bloomberg News yesterday that any “unilateral political sanctions” could draw a response from Russia. Kaspersky’s U.S. base is in Woburn.
It is unclear what exactly the response would be, but Nikiforov implied his country could stop hiring American companies for its tech solutions. He said Russia uses “a huge proportion of American software and hardware solutions in the IT sphere, even in very sensitive areas.”
The threat comes a day after the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to ban the Department of Defense from using Kaspersky software. The committee, along with ever-increasing numbers of lawmakers and intelligence and defense officials, have raised concerns over the company’s close ties to Russia — specifically because of the country’s interference in last year’s presidential election.
“The ties between Kaspersky Labs and the Kremlin are very alarming. This has led to a consensus in Congress and among administration officials that Kaspersky Labs cannot be trusted to protect critical infrastructure, particularly computer systems vital to our nation’s security,” said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who introduced the amendment in the committee’s bill.
Kaspersky and the popular anti-virus software it makes have been under scrutiny for months as officials examine its founder’s ties to the Russian government. Eugene Kaspersky, founder and chief executive, worked for a Russian intelligence agency before starting the company.
Michael Sulmeyer, director of Harvard’s Cyber Security Project at the Belfer Center, said the connections are enough to balk before putting the software on government computers.
“There’s enough out there that should give people pause,” Sulmeyer said. “When you install a program like that, you’re basically giving a third-party software (vendor) very deep access to your computer, they get access to your data.”
Earlier this week, FBI agents approached Kaspersky employees at their homes, the company confirmed. Kaspersky said it had not been notified of an official investigation.
A Kaspersky spokeswoman declined to comment on the Senate move or possible Russian retribution, instead pointing to a previous statement denying any involvement with Russian intelligence operations.