Pentagon Flagged Kaspersky Lab as a Potential Threat as Early as 2004

Kaspersky may have recently become a regular in the news coming out of the U.s., it appears that the government had its doubts about the antivirus house as early as 2004. According to the information presented past the Defense Section to the Congress, the company was flagged past the U.s. armed services intelligence over a decade ago.

Kaspersky was outset flagged as a security threat in 2004

The Department of Homeland Security put a ban on Kaspersky products in September, which some reports suggested was done afterwards Israeli intelligence officials provided testify to the US government that the Russians were using the products to spy on U.s.a. intelligence targets. However, it appears that the Defence Intelligence Bureau (DIA) was the kickoff to flag Kaspersky as a potential threat and did so in 2004 according to a memo provided to the Science, Infinite and Engineering Committee.

The memo likewise confirmed that in 2012 the Pentagon issued a threat assessment on Kaspersky. Information technology is unclear when the Section itself stopped using Kaspersky (Miller only said it was done a few years ago), but other agencies failed to follow the same precautions. In a report, the Wall Street Periodical writes:

A Russian cybersecurity firm whose products electric current and former U.S. officials doubtable Moscow has used as a tool for spying was flagged past U.Due south. military machine intelligence as a potential security threat every bit early as 2004, according to new information the Defence Department provided to Congress.

A summit Pentagon cybersecurity official, Essye Miller told the committee at a hearing this week that the Defense Section hadn't used Kaspersky products because of intelligence data regarding the business firm. Yet, other federal agencies didn't follow the same precautions and used Kaspersky products.

We had reported last week that Jeanette Manfra, a summit Department of Homeland Security official, had said at the hearing that well-nigh 15% of the federal agencies were using Kaspersky products on their systems. All the government agencies are required to remove the business firm's products by December 12.

While Kaspersky has continued to fight all such allegations, the Usa government says that "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" is likewise high. The reports and the company's subsequent access that it uploaded confidential documents from an NSA employee and didn't inform the authorities just reinforced the rhetoric that the AV house is a potential loftier target of spying - from Russian, Israeli or even the Usa spies.