Amid U.S. effort to exclude Kaspersky, Putin backs plan to force out foreign software
Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his support last Friday for a plan to compel Russian companies to purchase and deploy software that is created only by Russian technology firms rather than foreign competitors. The move comes as the FBI is privately counseling U.S. businesses to uninstall products that are created and sold by Moscow-based cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab due to reported privacy and security concerns. Although Kaspersky’s anti-virus software is not widely used in federal agencies, some companies continue to rely on it for protection against hackers. The FBI has yet to publicly provide evidence to support the accusation that Kaspersky acts as an extension of Russian intelligence services. Putin told Russian news agency Interfax that Russian companies looking to secure government contracts should comply with the regulatory directive — which by nature, appears to reward organizations that invest in domestic alternatives if and when they exist. “In terms of security, there are things that […]
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