Collaborate Disseminate
A “vulnerability” in Telegram’s desktop instant messaging client for Windows was exploited for months by Russian cybercriminals to deliver malware to users. Kaspersky Lab researchers discovered in October 2017 that the flaw – wh… Continue reading How cybercriminals exploited Telegram flaw to deliver malware
Kaspersky Lab has upped its legal fight with the U.S. government, filing another lawsuit related to a ban against its products tucked within the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. Based on court documents filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Russian company says the ban is unconstitutional. Kaspersky’s lawyers say that under the Constitution’s Bill of Attainder Clause, Congress is forbidden “from enacting laws which impose individualized deprivations of life, liberty, and property and inflict punishment on individuals and corporations without a judicial trial.” The 2018 NDAA instituted a government-wide ban on use of Kaspersky products. Signed by President Donald Trump in December, the ban would go into place on Oct. 1, 2o18. “Kaspersky Lab believes that these provisions violate the U.S. Constitution by specifically and unfairly singling out the company for legislative punishment, based on vague and unsubstantiated allegations without any basis in fact,” the […]
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Continue reading Kaspersky Lab files another lawsuit in wake of NDAA ban
The Department of Homeland Security refuses to reverse the ban on Kaspersky products after the Russian anti-virus company sued the agency for its September 2017 directive, according to new court documents. Last month, Kaspersky Lab filed a preliminary injunction in U.S. federal court to overturn the Binding Operational Directive (BOD) that bans the company’s anti- virus software on federal computers. In a response to the court Tuesday, DHS is requesting the court to deny the request from Kaspersky Lab, stating that even if the BOD is overturned, the congressional ban on Kaspersky products still stands. Aside from the directive, the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits federal agencies from using Kaspersky products. That ban goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2018. “Any new investment in Kaspersky software would frustrate agency efforts to bring their information systems in compliance with the NDAA,” acting Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Grant Schneider said in a accompanying […]
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Continue reading DHS won’t reverse ban on Kaspersky products, court docs show
Another influential congressman has criticized the Homeland Security Department (DHS) for not being transparent enough about the government’s ongoing efforts to remove a Russian anti-virus product from federal systems. Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, is threatening to subpoena documents from DHS concerning a ban against Kaspersky Lab’s anti-virus software. The threat comes because the department failed to provide sufficient information requested by the committee, according to Smith. Smith, R-Texas, is not the first lawmaker to call out DHS for a lack of cooperation. In a letter last month, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., accused the department of sending “unclear messages” about its progress made on banning Kaspersky products. The committee originally asked for a detailed update about the removal process from DHS on Dec. 5, 2017. After more than a month, DHS produced a limited set of documents, but the report only contained already public information. On […]
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Continue reading DHS threatened with subpoena over information about Kaspersky removal
ATM maker NCR Corp. is warning that cyber criminals are hacking U.S. cash machines with malware that can drain machines dry of cash. Continue reading Ploutus.D Malware Variant Used in U.S.-based ATM Jackpotting Attacks
Moscow-based anti-virus company Kaspersky Lab has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in U.S. federal court in hopes of halting the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to ban Kaspersky software from use in federal agencies, CyberScoop has learned. The move comes after Kaspersky Lab founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky announced plans in December to sue the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who originally launched the ban through a Binding Operational Directive (BOD) on Sept. 13 citing alleged espionage concerns. The motion was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal have all reported in recent months, citing anonymous U.S. intelligence officials, that Russian intelligence agencies have in the past leveraged Kaspersky Lab’s anti-virus engine to remotely steal confidential documents from targeted computers where the software is already installed. Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly and unequivocally denied all wrongdoing. The company continues […]
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Researchers have discovered Android malware with spy capabilities never seen before such as allowing attackers to capture encrypted WhatsApp chat sessions. Continue reading Potent Skygofree Malware Packs ‘Never-Before-Seen’ Features
It seems the U.S. government’s ban on Kaspersky Lab products is having echoes in other countries. The Lithuanian government also wants the company’s products removed from computers that control critical infrastructure. At a meeting of the L… Continue reading Lithuania Bans Kaspersky Lab Products on Critical Systems
Russian anti-virus maker Kaspersky Lab is suing the U.S. government for its decision to ban the company’s software in federal agencies and departments, according to an open letter written by company founder Eugene Kaspersky. Citing a lack of due process and insufficient evidence relating to the Department of Homeland Security’s Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 17-01, Kaspersky is claiming the U.S. government violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the Fifth Amendment. The Administrative Procedures Act controls how administrative agencies can propose and establish regulations, requiring organizations to provide “substantial evidence” for their decisions if questioned by a U.S. court. In September, DHS ordered civilian agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab from their computers within 90 days via the directive. Although the process had been ongoing for some time, the ban was then codified into law last week when U.S. President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The lawsuit represents […]
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Continue reading Kaspersky Lab takes U.S. government to court over federal software ban
The United Kingdom’s national cyberthreat monitoring agency is advising some of the country’s agencies to quit using Russian anti-virus software. The warning is a change in tone from the National Cyber Security Centre’s longstanding position that the agency does not mandate or ban any products. NCSC head Ciaran Martin sent a public letter on Friday to the U.K.’s permanent secretaries about the “supply chain risk in cloud-based products.” Moscow-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab has been under particular scrutiny in the United States for supposedly enabling Russians to steal information from intelligence authorities through software backdoors. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered in September that all federal agencies purge Kaspersky software from their networks. “The specific country we are highlighting in this package of guidance is Russia,” Ciaran writes. “The NCSC advises that Russia is a highly capable cyber threat actor which uses cyber as a tool of statecraft. This includes espionage, disruption and influence operations. Russia has the intent to […]
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