The German government's cybersecurity authority warned that German citizens in particular, should not use anti-virus software from the well-known Russian technology company Kaspersky. What's wrong?
The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) claims that by using Kaspersky anti-virus products, businesses, for example, are at risk of being spied on or forced to launch cyber attacks.
As quoted by us from Reuters, BSI stated that cyber companies based in Russia could be asked to obey the government to break into systems abroad or their technology could be used to carry out cyber attacks.
"Russian IT manufacturers may carry out attack operations on their own, being forced to attack targeted or spying systems without their knowledge or as a tool to spy on their customers," BSI said.
BSI also recommends those who are already using Kaspersky to replace it with an alternative product. Earlier in 2017, the United States government also banned the use of Kaspersky in that country.
In the same year, the British cyber agency announced to all government departments not to use Kaspersky products in systems related to national security.
In Germany, the announcement saw football club Eintracht Frankfurt terminate Kaspersky's contract as sponsor. "We regret this development," said a club spokesman.
Kaspersky himself said in his response that he would seek clarification from BSI on the decision. They considered it not a technical issue but a political one in the midst of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Kaspersky insists it is not in contact with the Russian government at all. Moreover, their data processing infrastructure has been relocated to Switzerland since 2018.