US on target to expunge Kaspersky products from government systems and networks, says report

Most US federal agencies now comply with order to remove Kaspersky from government systems

US federal government agencies have already met the first three deadlines of the September directive calling for the removal of Kaspersky Lab security products from all US government systems and networks.

In September, the US government ordered the removal of all Kaspersky software from federal agencies due to fears of influence from Russian president Vladimir Putin. Agencies were given 90 days to do this.

Following this directive, an official working at the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the "vast majority" agencies have removed all Kaspersky software.

Michael Duffy, who leads cyber security and communications at the DHS, explained that fewer than half of their agencies were using Kaspersky's anti-virus software.

He didn't give a specific percentage about how many agencies have actually met the DHS deadline or how many have been using Kaspersky software, but said they're moving in the right direction.

The Russian cyber security firm has faced a lot of pressure from the US Government over the past few months amid claims the Kremlin is using its software to conduct cyber espionage.

Of course, Kaspersky has flatly denied these claims, but that hasn't stopped US officials from making new claims. Duffy spoke to reporters at the 27 October meeting of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board.

He said the agency won't comment on any individual cases, but each agency was given an ample timeframe to remove the software. This task is lengthy due to the complex nature of Kaspersky's products.

There are many other systems that are based on Kaspersky anti-virus and its application programming interface, cautioned Duffy.

While US government agencies work to banish the software, some traces of it will still be left behind, a former DHS official told FCW.

Joghn Norton, who worked at the agency when George W. Bush set it up, said: "Probably the best example is anybody who has a home computer and has tried to remove some kind of app they didn't want anymore. It's still in there in some form. It's difficult to clean that up."

Responding to the directive in September, a spokesperson for Kaspersky said: "Given that Kaspersky Lab doesn't have inappropriate ties with any government, the company is disappointed with the decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"No credible evidence has been presented publicly by anyone or any organization as the accusations are based on false allegations and inaccurate assumptions, including claims about the impact of Russian regulations and policies on the company.

"Kaspersky Lab has always acknowledged that it provides appropriate products and services to governments around the world to protect those organizations from cyberthreats, but it does not have unethical ties or affiliations with any government, including Russia."