German Government Warns Against Using Russia’s Kaspersky Antivirus Software

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky on Tuesday responded to an
advisory released by Germany’s Federal Office of Information
Security (BSI) against using the company’s security solutions in
the country over “doubts about the reliability of the
manufacturer.”

Calling that the decision was made on “political grounds,” the
company said^[1]
it will “continue to assure our partners and customers of the
quality and integrity of our products, and we will be working with
the BSI for clarification on its decision and for the means to
address its and other regulators’ concerns.”

The statement from Kaspersky follows a warning from Germany’s
cybersecurity authority, the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der
Informationstechnik aka BSI, which recommended “replacing
applications from Kaspersky’s portfolio of antivirus software with
alternative products” due to risks that they could be exploited by
Russia for a cyber attack.

“Companies and authorities with special security interests and
operators of critical infrastructures are particularly at risk,”
the BSI said^[2], adding the company’s
tools could be used for attacks against its own customers or be
compelled to strike systems against its will amidst Russia’s
military invasion of Ukraine.

Although not an outright ban, the announcement adds to similar
restrictions put in place by the U.S.^[3], U.K.^[4], and Dutch governments^[5]
in 2017 and 2018 to phase out the use of antivirus software made by
Kaspersky Labs.

The Moscow-based company, however, noted that it had shifted its
cyberthreat-related data processing infrastructure^[6] to the Swiss city of
Zurich in 2018 and that its data services and engineering practices
have been subjected to independent third-party assessments.

Earlier this month, Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of the namesake
company, struck a neutral tone, hoping that negotiations between
Ukraine and Russia would lead to “a compromise,” in an attempt to
distance the organization from being branded as siding with
Russia.

“We believe that peaceful dialogue is the only possible
instrument for resolving conflicts,” Kaspersky tweeted^[7]
on March 1. “War isn’t good for anyone.”