Kaspersky, Avast, Eset, Cloudflare… Antivirus software publishers, cybersecurity experts, are on the front line of geopolitical tensions between Ukraine, Russia and the rest of the world.
It will soon be easier to count those who remain than those who have left. Antivirus software giant Avast has decided to pull out of Russia “in support of the Ukrainian people”. The firm announced the news in a press release published on March 11 on its blog. “With immediate effect, we have withdrawn the availability of all our products in Russia and Belarus and suspended all marketing and sales operations in these countries.says the ticket. We don’t take this decision lightly; we have been offering our products in Russia for almost 20 years and users from this country are an important part of our global community.”
Avast isn’t the only antivirus software maker — and cybersecurity expert — to choose to suspend operations in Russia. Eset, a Slovak company, took the same path on March 8. “In response to the Russian government’s decision to invade Ukraine, Eset has decided to stop all new sales to Russiathe company said in a tweet. As a global cybersecurity leader headquartered in Europe, our priority is to continue supporting Ukraine and its people.”
In response to the decision by the Russian Government to invade Ukraine, @ESET has decided to stop all new sales in Russia. As a global #cybersecurity leader headquartered in Europe, it is our priority to further support Ukraine and its people. https://t.co/SRZFGQnW3e
— ESET (@ESET) March 8, 2022
Of these Western bloc companies, only Cloudflare seems to take a different stance. The American company, which offers various Internet services, has certainly cut off access to its paid services in certain regions, but does not intend to put an end to its activities. “In fact, we think the Russian government would welcome us shutting down Cloudflare’s services in Russia.explained its CEO, Matthew Prince. Terminating the service indiscriminately would do little to harm the Russian government, but would limit access to information outside the country and make those who have used us for protection when criticizing the government much more vulnerable. ” Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the country’s digital strategy, has however invited Cloudflare to support Ukraine by closing its services in Russia.
Finally, Kaspersky, a famous Russian antivirus publisher, is also singled out by the EU authorities. In Germany, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has recommended replacing Kaspersky virus protection software with alternative products. The authority fears that Russia is using the products of the company, reputed to be close to the Kremlin, to carry out computer attacks against Germany.