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US 'Orchestrated' Russian Spies Scandal, Says Kaspersky Founder (theguardian.com)
Alex Hern, writing for The Guardian: Eugene Kaspersky, chief executive and co-founder of the embattled Russian cybersecurity firm that bears his name, believes his company is at the centre of a "designed and orchestrated attack" to destroy its reputation. Over a short period in the summer of 2017, Kaspersky Labs was the subject of multiple media reports alleging that the company had helped Russian intelligence agencies spy on the US, a number of FBI raids on staff members, and a nationwide ban on the use of its software by federal government agencies. "This media attack and government attack from the United States, it was designed and orchestrated," Mr Kaspersky said at a press conference in London. "Because at the same time, there was government, there was FBI, there was media attack. That is expensive ... I mean all kinds of resources: political influence, money, lobbyists, the media etc." When asked directly whether he had ever been asked to help Russian intelligence agencies spy on the US, Kaspersky vehemently denied any such conversations had ever happened saying: "They have never asked us to spy on people. Never." "If the Russian government comes to me and asks me to do anything wrong, I will move the business out of Russia," he added. "We never helped the espionage agencies, the Russians or any other nation."
While I'm not sure whether I'd use Kaspersky before, paranoia on the part of its founder is not assuaging my concerns over it.
"If the Russian government comes to me and asks me to do anything wrong, I will move the business out of Russia."
Putin has invaded both Georgia & the Ukraine and executed a former ally in London with radioactive poison. Yet Kaspersky expects us to believe that he could just pick up roots and move his company out of Russia? The credibility stretching involved to be able to believe that is bigger than the sun.
Democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the issue
'Teh media' (especially ones that operates a television channel) will jump at any chance to get a story out first. That means lots of 'developing' and 'stay tuned for details' and not any of 'fact checking' and 'research'. This does not cost any money.
Seems that everyone, be they Republican, Democrat, or Russian based anti-virus vendors forget this.
-- Still not sure if he's covering up the fact that Kapersky is working with the Russian gov. or that they're just not so good at protecting computers from malware/hacking. I'd put some money on that they were infiltrated by the FSB without their knowledge - again, not a good look for a security company.
Would have been nice to have seen some real evidence and not speculation when the U.S. government was ruining Kaspersky's reputation
I'd like to see proof that it couldn't have happened without his knowledge if they simply asked one of his employees instead, or that he could have even stopped it if he knew.
I think what he says is plausible. I think it's also plausible that Kapersky did favors for the FSB. The question is which is more plausible. They could both be true.
The bottom line is that you shouldn't trust any vendor entirely, especially ones with known ties to state security agencies. It's quite reasonable for US defense and intelligence contractors to avoid Russian products, and it would be just as reasonable for Russian firms to avoid American products.
You have to do a threat assessment. If you're involved with national security, then vendor connections to a hostile government are a red flag. If you're a commercial company, connections to foreign governments that are known to do industrial espionage are a red flag.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Not Putin.
All the Russia hysteria over the last few years has been straight-up Swiftboating. Fucking with other countries and wanting to spy on every person on the planet is what the United States does on a daily basis, so naturally it accuses someone else of doing what they do. If Kaspersky is proven to bend over backwards to help the FSB the same way American companies do for the CIA/NSA/FBI, then we can have a conversation, but so far the accusations have as much evidence to back them up as the conspiracy theory that Russia 'hacked the election' last year (i.e. none, nada, zip. zilch).
Karl Rove must be collecting some sweet royalties on this tactic.
All the Crimea/Ukraine/Georgia shit was Russia taking back its own shit.
It's just that the west determined Russia was the bad guy because fuck Russia.
Yet with Spain, the west is all for it?
The burden of proof lies on the accuser.