Russian antivirus program: Federal agency warns against Kaspersky products

The Federal Office for Information Security sees a “high risk” of IT attack from the Russian side in Kaspersky Antivirus. The manufacturer refuses this.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has warned consumers, businesses and authorities against continuing to use antivirus software from the Russian manufacturer Kaspersky. This program should be replaced by alternative products, British Standards Institution advised. Therefore, the company can itself carry out cyber attacks or be a victim of such attacks.

“The actions of the military and/or intelligence forces of Russia and the threats posed by Russia against the European Union, NATO and the Federal Republic of Germany in the context of the current armed conflict are associated with a significant risk of a successful IT attack,” the BSI explained.

Possible gateway to attacks

A Russian IT factory can “perform offensive operations” on its own, but it can also be forced to attack targeted systems against its will. After all, a Russian company itself can be spied on “or misused as a tool to launch attacks on its customers”.

BSI has warned that all users of Kaspersky Antivirus may be affected by such “processes”. Companies and agencies with special security interests or operators of critical infrastructure are particularly at risk. You can get advice from BSI or Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

Kaspersky: The decision is “politically motivated”

Kaspersky refused to act. The group has nothing to do with the Russian government. They are working with the British Standards Institution to address these concerns. The BSI decision was politically motivated and not based on a technical evaluation of the antivirus programme. Malicious or suspicious files will be from German users in Data centers in Zurich processed. If desired, customers can, among other things, view the source code of the software used.

BSI warned to “plan and implement carefully” the replacement of critical components of the IT security infrastructure. Because if your antivirus software is turned off without preparation, you “may be vulnerable to attacks from the Internet.” The switch to other products is therefore not without its problems as well: it is associated with “temporary losses in comfort, function and security”.

Eintracht Frankfurt terminates its contract

Eintracht Frankfurt ends its sponsorship contract with Russian software company Kaspersky with immediate effect. Hessians cited the official and official warning from the Federal Bureau of Information Security (BSI) as the reason, which expressed doubts about the reliability of the manufacturer of cybersecurity systems. As a result, partnership based on trust in products and services is no longer possible for Eintracht in this highly sensitive region.