Kaspersky Labs: Friend or Foe

Back in May of this year, Reuters reported that "U.S. Intelligence chiefs were reviewing the use of Kaspersky Labs antivirus software" on government computers at the federal level. Also reporting on the subject, ABC said "the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a secret report on the matter in February and that the FBI was investigating Kaspersky Lab’s relationship to the Russian government, citing unnamed sources.

In a statement issued by Kaspersky Labs, they claim “as a private company, Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyber espionage efforts.” Reuters was not able to verify those claims to-date. When Marco Rubio, Republican Senator from Florida, asked the "chiefs of the NSA, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, DIA and two other intelligence agencies if they would be comfortable using Kaspersky products. All said no. "

Most recently, Shane Harris, national security reporter for the Wall Street Journal, discusses with Rachel Maddow that the fear of Kaspersky Labs antivirus software being used as a "conduit for Russian hackers" is very real. The New York Times reported that "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. 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."

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