Dump Kaspersky AV -NOW!

Way back in 2017 the National Cyber Security Agency (A UK based arm of GCHQ) issued a warning to government departments to not use Kaspersky Antivirus products. At the same time Donald Trump in his own unique way banned Kaspersky’s security software from being used all government offices in the USA. At IT Ambulance we took the hint and moved all of our customers away from Kaspersky Labs products.

Questions Unanswered 
These warnings came about after hackers in 2015 targeted a US employee of the National security agency, who worked for the agency’s elite hacking tools development unit. The employee took classified materials home and opened them on their home computer that was running a Kaspersky antivirus. The report said that the Russian hackers targeted the employee after they identified the NSA files through the antivirus software.
The breach included key files on how the NSA “penetrates foreign computer networks, the computer code it uses for such spying, and how it defends networks inside the US.” The hack has been described as “one of the most significant security breaches” in recent years.

Germans Warned Off
Yesterday 16/3/2020, Germany’s cyber security authority warned millions of Kaspersky users to find an alternative product due to the “considerable risk” of an imminent attack following threats made to western nations.
“A Russian IT manufacturer can carry out offensive operations itself, be forced to attack target systems against its will, or be spied on without its knowledge as a victim of a cyber operation or be misused as a tool for attacks against its own customers,” the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said.

Spooky Ties

Kaspersky Labs was founded by Eugene Kaspersky. At the age of 16, Kaspersky entered a five-year program with The Technical Faculty of the KGB Higher School. which prepared intelligence officers for the Russian military and KGB. He graduated in 1987 with a degree in mathematical engineering and computer technology. After graduating college, Kaspersky served the Soviet military intelligence service as a software engineer. Currently Mr Kaspersky is one of the richest men in Russia and lives in Moscow, Russia with his wife and five children.
Kaspersky has been notable in his failure to denounce the Russian Federation for its aggression in The Ukraine.

So Take Action!
Our view at IT Ambulance is that Kaspersky’s whole relationship with the Russian State is far too chummy and the risk of a back door into western nation systems simply too risky to overlook. As Kaspersky simply doesn’t present as the best performing anti-virus or even particularly good value, we would advise all users to go pick another product from any in the top 10 AV Solutions chart.

Addendum 26th March 2022

the US Federal Communications Commission moved Kaspersky Lab to the “Covered List” of companies that pose an “unacceptable risk to the national security”