The federal government of the United States has issued a directive that all its systems should be cleared of the Kaspersky antivirus. Other than the antivirus, the government ordered the removal of any software that is manufactured by the Kaspersky Lab. This is a cyber-security firm from Russia that is currently being investigated for links with Russian involvement in meddling with the US elections. The investigation is being carried out the by FBI and the directive was issued on Wednesday. The concerns have been there for a while. Kaspersky software is allowed in the United States without any restrictions. According to information that was brought forward by former American officials who sought anonymity, there has always been a determination to find out whether the senior executives of the company are working in collaboration with Russian intelligence and military. The FBI and American spies have had reasons to believe that Kaspersky is involved in a conspiracy with the Russian government. There are fears that their software especially their well-known antivirus may have deliberate backdoors that are left for Russian intelligence to penetrate American systems. On its part, the company has furiously denied the allegations. Officers conducting the investigation refused to give details about the investigation as they said that it was classified.
However, the government through the acting Homeland Security secretary Elaine C. Duke said that all federal agencies must comply with an order to remove Kaspersky software within a period of three months. However, the latest move can be seen as an apparent disconnect between the White House and the law enforcement agencies. In the past, the Trump administration has on numerous occasions refused that the Russians interfered with the US election. However, US intelligence officials have always accused Russia of interfering with their systems. Kaspersky now serves as the victims of a spy war between Russia that dates back to the cold war days. Just some few days ago, Best Buy announced that they would be removing Kaspersky products from its website and shelves. At the same time, the Congress announced that they would vote on a bill to remove Kaspersky products from government agencies which would effectively codify the latest decision by Homeland Security. Kaspersky is considered the most advanced cybersecurity research firm on earth. The owner of the company Eugene V. Kaspersky says that he doesn’t have any active ties to the country’s intelligence services and military. It’s origin from Russia is enough to fuel speculations.
