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posted by mrpg on Tuesday July 04 2017, @08:19AM   Printer-friendly
from the here-nsa-take-my-source-code dept.
Kaspersky Willing to Hand Source Code Over to U.S. Government

Kaspersky Lab is willing to go to extreme lengths to reassure the U.S. government about the security of its products:

Eugene Kaspersky is willing to turn over computer code to United States authorities to prove that his company's security products have not been compromised by the Russian government, The Associated Press reported early Sunday.

"If the United States needs, we can disclose the source code," said the creator of beleaguered Moscow-based computer security company Kaspersky Lab in an interview with the AP.

"Anything I can do to prove that we don't behave maliciously I will do it."

Also at Neowin.

In Worrisome Move, Kaspersky Agrees to Turn Over Source Code to US Government

Over the last couple of weeks, there's been a disturbing trend of governments demanding that private tech companies share their source code if they want to do business. Now, the US government is giving the same ultimatum and it's getting what it wants.

On Sunday, the CEO of security firm Kaspersky Labs, Eugene Kaspersky, told the Associated Press that he's willing to show the US government his company's source code. "Anything I can do to prove that we don't behave maliciously I will do it," Kaspersky said while insisting that he's open to testifying before Congress as well.

The company's willingness to share its source code comes after a proposal was put forth in the Senate that "prohibits the [Defense Department] from using software platforms developed by Kaspersky Lab." It goes on to say, "The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that any network connection between ... the Department of Defense and a department or agency of the United States Government that is using or hosting on its networks a software platform [associated with Kaspersky Lab] is immediately severed."

Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat tells ABC News, that there is "a consensus in Congress and among administration officials that Kaspersky Lab cannot be trusted to protect critical infrastructure." The fears follow years of suspicion from the FBI that Kaspersky Labs is too close to the Russian government. The company is based in Russia but has worked with both Moscow and the FBI in the past, often serving as a go-between to help the two governments cooperate. "As a private company, Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyberespionage efforts," an official statement from Kaspersky Labs reads.

Source: Gizmodo


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 04 2017, @11:16AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 04 2017, @11:16AM (#534763)

    and are in no position to do anything about anything they find.

    Emptying out your bank account. Using your machine for a DDOS attack, trojan C&C relay, or whatever. Sending trojaned emails to all your acquaitances.
    To me, it seems anyone in control of your system is in a position to do plenty to you.

  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday July 04 2017, @12:03PM (2 children)

    Russian state actors ain't gonna do them type o things. They might at most use the box to launch an attack on infrastructure. Which is the concern of the infrastructure admins not mine.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 04 2017, @03:37PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 04 2017, @03:37PM (#534813)

      Until that infrastructure is the one that runs your banking or the one that runs logistics that delivers food to your city. Are you an anti-vaxer or something because that's kinda the thinking they use.

      • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday July 04 2017, @06:11PM

        Irrelevant. There's nothing gained by launching a hack from my box as opposed to the gerzillions of other devices they have rooted already. I have nothing Russia cares about.

        Now US politicians, they desperately want my 4th Amendment rights. Both sides of the aisle do, though the right are pushing for them slightly harder.

        --
        My rights don't end where your fear begins.