The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday released its annual defense spending bill, which reportedly contains a provision prohibiting the Department of Defense from using any products from Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab. According to multiple news outlets, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who is credited with adding the Kaspersky amendment to the bill, said in a statement that "ties between Kaspersky Lab and the Kremlin are very alarming." News of this key stipulation in the legislation came one day after numerous U.S.-based employees of Kaspersky reportedly received visits from FBI agents conducting an investigation, the details of which are not known. According to Reuters, Kaspersky acknowledged "brief interactions" between the FBI and certain employees, describing these meetings as "due diligence" discussions. Reportedly, no warrants were served. Despite its status as a leading cybersecurity research and software company, Kaspersky has come under scrutiny for its alleged close relationship with Kremlin officials, prompting fear that the company could assisting Russia with cyber campaigns such as Moscow's interference with the U.S. presidential election. In a May 11 hearing before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, four intelligence and justice officials testified that they would not be comfortable with Kaspersky software on their computers. Kaspersky has repeatedly denied that it has any connection to the Russian government. June 29, 2017 https://www.scmagazine.com/legislat...ployees-of-russian-cyber-firm/article/672237/
Let's Talk Kaspersky Posted by: Timothy Tibbetts As we're sure you've heard, White House cybersecurity coordinator Rob Joyce and the FBI have warned against using products from Kaspersky Labs. Joyce told CBS news last week that "I worry that as a nation state Russia really hasn't done the right things for this country and they have a lot of control and latitude over the information that goes to companies in Russia. So I worry about that." That statement seems to be nothing more than politics considering all the also unproven talk about Russia meddling in our elections. The Proof, or Lack Therof No evidence has been shown yet that the Russian-based Kaspersky Labs is "nothing more than a front for Russian intelligence." As software geeks, we know that Kaspersky has always been one of the top-rated antivirus programs on the market and consistently shows up in the top five best antivirus programs. They also have done a lot of work in research and have disrupted some hacking organizations and identified Turla; an active group believed to work for Russia. If you're going to point a finger as the United States cybersecurity coordinator and hacker, then details should be provided. Where's Your AntiVirus From? Let's take a look at some of the other products available. Zone Alarm uses the Kaspersky engine in their products. Bitdefender, another one of our favorites, is based in Romania with 500 million users. And let's not forget the most popular antivirus, Avast who bought out AVG and Piriform, the makers of CCleaner and is based in the Czech Republic with offices in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Russia, China, South Korea and Taiwan. Joyce also pointed to Steam Games and QR codes as threats, but the Russian tie-in is more exciting, so that went largely ignored. The Bottom Line As I look around the room, I see many items, possibly made in sweatshops or at low wages and long hours. There's a computer full of parts made in China, a shirt made in Mexico and Tahiti, shorts made in Indonesia, a Jeep owned by an Italian company and underwear made in India. Is Kaspersky my biggest concern? Not really. But, just saying Russia is what gave these stories teeth. Maybe we should have tossed "Russia" into our headline? Did I mention Russia? Now, if you don't mind, we need to get back to work on our new tin foil hat. We're thinking pirate theme. 28.08.2017 http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/lets_talk_kaspersky.html
Israeli spies 'watched Russian agents breach Kaspersky software' Israeli spies looked on as Russian hackers breached Kaspersky cyber-security software two years ago, US media report. The Russians were allegedly attempting to gather data on US intelligence programs, according to the New York Times and Washington Post. Israeli agents made the discovery after breaching the software themselves. Kaspersky has said it was neither involved in nor aware of the situation and denies collusion with authorities. Last month, the US government decided to stop using the Russian firm's software on its computers. The Israelis are said to have notified the US, which led to the ban on Kaspersky programs. The New York Times said that the situation had been described by "multiple people who have been briefed on the matter". Integrity 'fundamental' Classified documents are reported to have been stolen from the home computer of a US National Security Agency (NSA) employee who installed Kaspersky's antivirus software. The NSA, the White House and the Israeli embassy in Washington have not commented on the matter. The New York Times said that the Russian embassy had not responded to a request for comment. Kaspersky has published a statement saying that it was not involved in and does not have knowledge of the situation. "As the integrity of our products is fundamental to our business, Kaspersky Lab patches any vulnerabilities it identifies or that are reported to the company," the statement said. "Kaspersky Lab reiterates its willingness to work alongside US authorities to address any concerns they may have about its products as well as its systems, and respectfully requests any relevant, verifiable information that would enable the company to begin an investigation at the earliest opportunity." The firm added that it has never helped, nor would help, governments in matters of cyber-espionage. 11.10.2017 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41580850
