Recently, we have reported several claims (here, here, and here) made by the Russian security software manufacturer Kaspersky Lab that they have discovered 'evidence' of NSA involvement in malware. Now, Bloomberg claims that the Moscow-based computer security company has effectively been taken over by the FSB. Company founder Eugene Kaspersky was educated at a KBG-run school, which was never a secret, but the new report describes a much more current and intimate connection.
Kaspersky Lab is denying the allegations, as one might expect, and counter with the statement:
It's not as though the US has clean hands in all of this. The CIA has funded the development of security software firms like FireEye, Veracode, and Hytrust though its In-Q-Tel investment fund, and American firms have been noticeably silent when it comes to investigating suspected US state-sponsored malware.
We are unlikely to hear the truth from either side, nor should we realistically expect a confession from the NSA or the FSB. Nevertheless, it is possible that the security industries on both sides are 'guilty' of looking after their respective government's interests and what we are seeing is just another day in the world of intelligence collection and cyber-security, the world of claim and counter-claim.
[Editor's Comment: Typo fixed at 15:39 UTC]
(Score: 5, Interesting) by SuperCharlie on Sunday March 22 2015, @03:20PM
Lately I've been getting a lot of news from Russia since I figure if it's stinky they will be the ones to publish it. This bloomberg thing is a direct retaliation for kaspersky calling out the nsa on creating some of the more virulent malware and industrial intrusion kits lately. Sure it's slanted. But at least it's another view and not the pre-washed force fed crap in our media.
(Score: 2) by Adamsjas on Sunday March 22 2015, @05:41PM
Yes It does seem a bit convenient to be coming out just now, doesn't it.
Like iPhone articles swamping the mainstream press trying to drowned out Android Lollypop release stories. Our Free Press seems to be pretty tightly controlled.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 22 2015, @06:35PM
I think it more likely that they are drawing attention to themselves, which draws the attention of journalists. One doesn't need to always invoke juvenile "teh lame stream media is p0wnd!" analysis. Aren't we always so quick to announce "Streisand Effect", so why doesn't it apply here?
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Sunday March 22 2015, @07:26PM
How about *both*. We don't live in a world where everything is either/or.
For that matter, even if Kaspersky Labs has ties to the FSB (probable) that doesn't make everything they say wrong, it just means that they aren't likely to say bad things about Russia, or good things about the US. Selective reporting is not (quite) the same as lying.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Sunday March 22 2015, @10:10PM
Telling lies for power is pretty much all our MSM is anymore. If you wanna know which ones are giving the most handjobs to the NSA? Just look up their coverage when all that nasty PMC dirty dealings was dumped on wikileaks and see how many instantly ignored that for "But Assange may not have used a condom, the filthy rapist!". you'll see that the Post and the Times were the worst, they even buried anything to do with that video of the chopper pilot killing that family while laughing and acting like he was playing Call of Dooky but practically screamed from the rooftops every tweet from the 24 hours Assange was with that girl and every "detail" of the later shown to be false charges against the head of the IMF...who wanted to get rid of the petrodollar...wow, what a coincidence, huh?
its sad to say but at this moment I'd trust Pravda more than I trust our own media, at least they don't pretend to be objective..
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2015, @12:32PM
What do those acronyms that you used mean? MSM? PMC?