In a note published by the Government Center for Monitoring, Alerting and Responding to Computer Attacks, Anssi recommends finding alternatives to Russian software. Kaspersky is the main company targeted.
French individuals and companies should be extra vigilant in the midst of the war in Ukraine, estimates Anssi. And for good reason, cyberattacks targeting Ukraine can cause collateral damage, like the one suffered by the satellite network provider ViaSat, on the first day of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, February 24, 2022. If the attack targeted the Ukrainian army, it also affected Internet users in France and wind turbines in Germany.
In this context, ANSSI has made recommendations to guard against possible cyberattacks launched in the context of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In a note published by the Government Center for Monitoring, Alerting and Responding to Computer Attacks, the French cybersecurity policeman thus recommends finding alternatives to Russian software.
Kaspersky, the only Russian company named by Anssi
“In the current context, the use of certain digital tools, in particular the tools of the Kaspersky company, may be questioned because of their link with Russia.“, estimates the Anssi. However, “at this stage, no objective element justifies changing the assessment of the level of quality of the products and services provided“, tempers the organization which has 675 agents responsible for fighting cybercrime on French territory. Anssi is especially concerned about “the ability of these companies to provide updates to their products and services and therefore to maintain them at the state of the art necessary to protect their customers“, which could disturb in particular “industrial players linked to Russia“.
However, the French cybersecurity policeman asks individuals and companies not to suddenly change antivirus “without substitute solution“. In the absence of protection, the door would indeed be wide open for cybercriminals. Consequently, Anssi estimates that in the medium term “a strategy of diversification of cybersecurity solutions must therefore be considered“.
This warning is yet another blow to Kaspersky, whose cybersecurity solutions are used by 400 million users and 250,000 businesses worldwide. In 2017, the Russian publisher’s antivirus software had already been banned from the American administration. Washington then accused Kaspersky of being the eye of Moscow. Rumors of possible links between the Russian company and the Kremlin were notably fueled by investigations by Bloomberg, which revealed that the company’s founder, Eugene Kaspersky, was trained at a KGB-sponsored cryptographic institute, and that the company has had a close relationship with the FSB (ex-KGB), Russia’s main intelligence agency.