Danish companies are urged to reconsider the use of Russian antivirus software. The Center for Cyber Security is now warning Danish companies and authorities to be cautious with the use of antivirus programs from the Russian company Kaspersky. Mark Fiedel, deputy director of the Center for Cyber Security, stated to DR that it is important to take a critical stance on whether Kaspersky should be the provider of one’s antivirus software.
This recommendation comes in the wake of a recent ban in the USA, where Kaspersky is no longer allowed to sell its software to American customers. The reason for the ban is that US intelligence services consider Kaspersky a potential national security threat, as it is believed that Russia could use the software to spy on users, according to the IT magazine Wired.
The ban, the first of its kind from the US Department of Commerce, will come into effect on July 20. However, Kaspersky has been given permission to continue providing updates to its current American customers until September 29.
Kaspersky, headquartered in Moscow, operates in 31 countries and supplies software to more than 400 million users and 270,000 companies in over 200 countries, Reuters reports. The company denies all accusations of activities that could pose a security risk and has previously stated that they will use all legal means to fight against the US ban.
This is not the first time Kaspersky has been in the spotlight. In 2017, US authorities already banned a specific antivirus program from Kaspersky from being used on federal networks, as the company was accused of having connections to Russian intelligence services, as reported by the BBC.
The Center for Cyber Security, which is part of the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE), underlines the importance of Danish companies taking these warnings seriously and considering alternative solutions for their cybersecurity needs.