Kaspersky Lab is reportedly in the middle of a rather nasty legal battle between Washington and Moscow, as the Russian security firm is being investigated by US intelligence agencies.
US officials have reportedly become increasingly concerned that Russian spies could use Kaspersky software to spy on Americans and sabotage US systems, prompting the National Security Agency (NSA) to reveal that it is reviewing the government's use of the company's products.
Mike Rogers, Director of the NSA, told the Senate committee that he is personally involved in monitoring the Kaspersky matter, but declined to say more, likely due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
Defense Intelligence Agency Director Vincent Stewart also confirmed the investigation, stating that they are monitoring Kaspersky and its software.
Kaspersky on the other hand issued a statement earlier this week stating that the claims are false:
“The company has a 20-year history in the IT security industry always following the highest ethical business practices, and Kaspersky Lab believes it is completely unacceptable to unfairly accuse the company without solid evidence to support these false allegations.”
The company points out that participating in such actions would destroy a multi-million dollar business that took decades to build. Furthermore, Kaspersky notes that users have full control over telemetry, since their participation is voluntary.
Kaspersky also points out that over the past ten years, they have discovered and publicized numerous Russian-speaking cyber espionage campaigns, despite the company's connection to the country.
Eugene Kaspersky, the company's founder and CEO, also addressed the issue during an AMA session on Reddit. He said he would be happy to testify before the Senate to address any concerns about the products his company makes.
“I respectfully disagree with their opinion, and I am very sorry that these gentlemen cannot use the best software on the market for political reasons,” Kaspersky said.
