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Congress Asks US Agencies For Kaspersky Lab Cyber Documents (reuters.com)
Reuters reports: A U.S. congressional panel this week asked 22 government agencies to share documents on Moscow-based cyber firm Kaspersky Lab, saying its products could be used to carry out "nefarious activities against the United States," according to letters seen by Reuters. The requests made on Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology are the latest blow to the antivirus company, which has been countering accusations by U.S. officials that it may be vulnerable to Russian government influence. The committee asked the agencies for all documents and communications about Kaspersky Lab products dating back to Jan. 1, 2013, including any internal risk assessments. It also requested lists of any systems that use Kaspersky products and the names of any U.S. government contractors or subcontractors that do so. Kaspersky has repeatedly denied that it has ties to any government and said it would not help any government with cyber espionage. It said there is no evidence for the accusations made by U.S. officials. The committee "is concerned that Kaspersky Lab is susceptible to manipulation by the Russian government, and that its products could be used as a tool for espionage, sabotage, or other nefarious activities against the United States," wrote the panel's Republican chairman, Lamar Smith, in the letters.
Congress better be careful, cyber documents contain twice as much internet as regular documents.
Maybe I'm naive, but I would suspect Mr Kaspersky tries to run an honest company. That being said, of course he's going to help somewhat if his government asks him to (An Offer You Can't Refuse, or You Only Do Once) -- just like AT&T and any company, I mean person over here.
NEVER MIND any moles or other unofficial "helpers" that might already exist in any company.
So they're being accused of all of this. At what point does he say "Screw it, I'm accused and already prosecuted of this, so let's DO it then. What, you're going to fine me or something?"
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
"...saying its products could be used to carry out "nefarious activities against the United States,"
Yes, absolutely!
It could well be capable of detecting the next US TLA cyber-weapon toolkit left laying about for hackers to copy and use, thereby threatening US national security by exposing the incompetence of the US government to the general public. A clear & present danger.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
'The committee "is concerned that Kaspersky Lab is susceptible to manipulation by the Russian government, and that its products could be used as a tool for espionage, sabotage, or other nefarious activities against the United States..."'
Lunar Smith may not have noticed that Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, HP and many other US corporations are susceptible to manipulation by the US government, and that their products could be used as a tool for espionage, sabotage, or other nefarious activities against the rest of the world.
In fact, I am sure that they are. Maybe Lunar Smith doesn't think that matters. But I do.
I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
Sketchy because? Most of the AV solutions seem to offer a free version. I haven't heard 1 single fact yet that says Kaspersky is anything other than a straight forwards AV vendor.
If I were Kaspersky I'd be talking to lawyers about taking the US to arbitration under trade treaty rules because this looks like straight forwards discrimination.
Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
Politics and intrigue have made their way into the internet at levels most of us old timers would not have suspected. Now we're seeing competition between state actors over who will be the most effective surveillance state.
If privacy is important to you- the internet is not a place to get it. My suspicion is that this will not change. Every product is suspect. Every company is suspect. Assume everyone can see what you do. Make that assumption even if you take steps to attain basic anonymity.
And if you use onion or garlic routing (Tor/i2p etc.) remember that those networks are targeted by law enforcement and state actors.
The best policy is to not do anything illegal or involve yourself in espionage while using the internet. No one cares about pictures of your puppies or your World of Warcraft character.
It's not Kapersky we have to be worried about: The political chess game is being played out with the internet being a full part of the drama. It is best to assume every company is involved- and act accordingly.
Another consultant who stuck it out.
"We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx..."