Kaspersky Lab Antivirus Software Is Ordered Off U.S. Government Computers
Kaspersky Lab Antivirus Software Is Ordered Off U.S.
Government Computers
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and RON NIXON SEPT. 13, 2017
WASHINGTON — The federal government moved on Wednesday to
wipe from its computer systems any software made by a prominent Russian
cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky Lab, that is being investigated by the F.B.I. for
possible links to Russian security services.
The concerns surrounding Kaspersky, whose software is
sold throughout the United States, are longstanding. The F.B.I., aided by
American spies, has for years been trying to determine whether Kaspersky’s
senior executives are working with Russian military and intelligence, according
to current and former American officials. The F.B.I. has also been
investigating whether Kaspersky software, including its well-regarded antivirus
programs, contain back doors that could allow Russian intelligence access into
computers on which it is running. The company denies the allegations.
The officials, all of whom spoke on the condition of
anonymity because the inquiries are classified, would not provide details of
the information they have collected on Kaspersky. But on Wednesday, Elaine C.
Duke, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, ordered federal agencies to
develop plans to remove Kaspersky software from government systems in the next
90 days.
Wednesday’s announcement is the latest instance of the
apparent disconnect between the Trump White House, which has often downplayed
the threat of Russian interference to the country’s infrastructure, and
front-line American law enforcement and intelligence officials, who are engaged
in a perpetual shadow war against Moscow-directed operatives.
Kaspersky’s business in the United States now appears to
be the latest casualty in those spy wars. Best Buy, the electronics giant,
announced last week that it was pulling Kaspersky Lab’s cybersecurity products
from its shelves and website, and the Senate is voting this week on a
defense-spending bill that would ban Kaspersky Lab products from being used by
American government agencies, effectively codifying Wednesday’s directive into
law.
Kaspersky is considered one of the foremost cybersecurity
research firms in the world, and has considerable expertise in designing
antivirus software and tools to uncover spyware used by Western intelligence
services. The company was founded by Eugene V. Kaspersky, who attended a high
school that trained Russian spies, and later wrote software for the Soviet Army
before going on to found Kaspersky Lab in 1997. He has insisted that neither he
nor his company have active ties to the Russian military or intelligence
services.
Yet despite its prominence in the cybersecurity world,
its origins in Russia have for years fueled suspicions about its possible ties
to Russia’s intelligence agencies. Federal officials have warned private
companies to avoid Kaspersky software, and earlier this year the firm was
removed from two lists of approved vendors used by government agencies to purchase
technology.
At a Senate hearing in May, a number of senior American
security officials, including the chiefs of the F.B.I. and the C.I.A., were
even more blunt when asked if they would be comfortable with Kaspersky software
running on their agencies’ systems: “No,” they said.
Still, Kaspersky’s software is believed to be used in
many federal agencies, especially its antivirus products, though there is no
reliable estimate of its ubiquity — government computer systems tend be a
jumbled-together collection of often-aging software and hardware, and no
central authority keeps track of who uses what.
Kaspersky’s software is also widely used by state
governments and ordinary Americans. The company says it has more than 400
million users around the world. It also has a robust business analyzing and
investigating cyberthreats.
“The risk that the Russian government, whether acting on
its own or in collaboration with Kaspersky, could capitalize on access provided
by Kaspersky products to compromise federal information and information systems
directly implicates U.S. national security,” Ms. Duke said in a statement.
Kaspersky said it was disappointed with Homeland
Security’s decision and denied any ties to the Russian government.
Adam Goldman contributed reporting.
A version of this article appears in print on September
14, 2017, on Page A14 of the New York edition with the headline: Kaspersky Lab
Software Is Ordered Wiped From Government Computers.
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