The top cyber security agency of the United Kingdom on Friday warned against the use of Russian anti-virus software for government use, Reuters reported. Such software could harm national security if the Russian government used it to access confidential information, the UK National Cyber Security Centre said.
In a letter to government departments, the director of the National Cyber Security Centre, Ciaran Martin, said that Russia may want “to target UK central government and the UK’s critical national infrastructure”. Russia is a “highly capable cyber threat actor”, which uses cyberspace for “espionage, disruption and influence operations”, his letter said.
Anti-virus software made by Russian company Kaspersky Lab was ordered to be removed from United States government networks in September, as the company allegedly has close ties with intelligence agencies in Moscow.
Kaspersky denied the allegations, and called itself a scapegoat.
Martin said the agency was in talks with Kaspersky Lab to develop a system for reviewing its products for use in the UK. “We are in discussions with Kaspersky Lab...about whether we can develop a framework that we and others can independently verify,” he said.
Russian government agencies are widely believed to have intervened in the 2016 United States presidential election campaign, and federal agencies are investigating Moscow’s alleged role.
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