The US Bans Kaspersky
Summary
TLDRThe US Department of Commerce has banned Kaspersky Labs from providing cybersecurity products in the country, citing national security risks. This follows past allegations of Kaspersky's ties to Russian intelligence and concerns over its potential use as a spying tool. The ban impacts not only government networks but also civilian use. The speaker reflects on their experience with Kaspersky at Geek Squad and its reputation for robust security, while also discussing the implications for Kaspersky's research contributions to the cybersecurity community.
Takeaways
- 📜 The Department of Commerce has issued a final determination prohibiting Kaspersky Labs and associated companies from providing cybersecurity products or services in the U.S. due to national security risks.
- 🔍 The U.S. government now officially labels Kaspersky Internet Security and its variants as spyware, stemming from concerns about ties to Russian intelligence agencies.
- 🇷🇺 The ban on Kaspersky products is based on the fear that the Russian government could compel the company to use its antivirus program as a spying tool.
- 🛡️ The speaker argues that it's prudent for any country to avoid using proprietary software from rival nations, especially in sensitive government networks.
- 💻 Antivirus programs, by their nature, have high system access and could potentially be exploited for malicious purposes, raising security concerns.
- 🛍️ In response to the 2017 ban, Best Buy removed Kaspersky from its shelves and offered alternatives to customers with ongoing Kaspersky licenses.
- 👨💻 The speaker's personal experience working at Geek Squad involved recommending Kaspersky for its high detection rate and security features on high-end computers.
- 🔑 The speaker expresses skepticism about proprietary software, assuming it to be spyware until proven otherwise, and highlights the ongoing debate about Kaspersky's true nature.
- 🔬 Kaspersky Labs' research has been valuable to the infosec community, including the development of a method to detect the Pegasus spyware tool.
- 🤔 There is speculation about the U.S. government's motives for targeting Kaspersky, with theories suggesting it could be to hinder the company's ability to detect spyware or出于 genuine concern for national security.
- 🏢 The future of Kaspersky's U.S. office in Massachusetts and the jobs there are uncertain following the ban, which could impact the company's research efforts.
Q & A
What action did the Department of Commerce take against Kaspersky Labs?
-The Department of Commerce issued a final determination that prohibits Kaspersky Labs and any associated companies from providing antivirus software and cybersecurity products or services in the United States or to any US person due to the risks these products pose to US National Security.
Why has there been debate over whether Kaspersky is a spyware tool?
-There has been debate because, despite allegations of Kaspersky's ties to Russian intelligence agencies and fears that the Russian government could compel Kaspersky to use its antivirus program as a spying tool, definitive proof has been a subject of controversy.
What was the Department of Homeland Security's stance on Kaspersky in 2017?
-In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security banned the use of Kaspersky antivirus on Federal computers and federal networks due to alleged ties to Russian intelligence agencies.
Why is it concerning for a government to use proprietary software from a rival country in their networks?
-It is concerning because proprietary software, especially antivirus programs that have high-level access to systems, could potentially be manipulated for malicious purposes, such as spying, by the software's developers or their home country.
What was the role of Kaspersky antivirus in Geek Squad's tech support program?
-Kaspersky was one of the antivirus programs that Geek Squad, a Best Buy service, offered with their paid tech support program. It was often recommended for high-end computers for its high detection rate and overall security.
Why did Best Buy decide to stop offering Kaspersky in 2017?
-Best Buy decided to pull Kaspersky from their shelves in response to the federal government's ban on its use in federal networks, as it was deemed a bad look for the company to continue offering a product that the government deemed a security risk.
What alternatives did Best Buy offer to Kaspersky customers after the ban?
-Best Buy offered customers the option to switch their remaining Kaspersky license to either Trend Micro or Webroot, two other antivirus programs they offered.
What is the speaker's personal opinion on proprietary software?
-The speaker leans towards considering all proprietary software as potential spyware until proven otherwise, due to the lack of transparency and the potential for misuse.
Why was Kaspersky of particular interest to the speaker during their learning of offensive security?
-Kaspersky was of interest because it was challenging to bypass its detection mechanisms, which was a useful learning experience for developing malware that could evade antivirus software.
What concerns does the speaker express about the future of Kaspersky Labs' research efforts?
-The speaker is concerned that the ban on selling Kaspersky products in the US might affect the company's cash flow and, consequently, its valuable research efforts, which have contributed significantly to the broader infosec community.
What is the speaker's speculation about the US government's motivation for targeting Kaspersky?
-The speaker speculates that the US government might be trying to hinder Kaspersky's ability to detect and mitigate spyware that they might want to deploy in the future, or that they are genuinely concerned about Russian spying on US citizens.
Outlines
🛡️ US Government Bans Kaspersky Products Over National Security Concerns
The Department of Commerce has issued a final determination that prohibits Kaspersky Labs and associated companies from providing antivirus and cybersecurity products or services in the United States due to national security risks. The US government now officially labels Kaspersky Internet Security and its variants as spyware, following allegations of ties to Russian intelligence agencies and fears of the software being used for malicious spying. This move is sensible given the high level of system access antivirus programs have, which could be exploited for spying if not trusted. The script also discusses the impact on Geek Squad and Best Buy, which had previously recommended and sold Kaspersky products, and had to pull them from their offerings in response to the ban.
🔍 Concerns Over Kaspersky's Role in Cybersecurity Amidst US Ban
The speaker expresses uncertainty about whether Kaspersky is indeed spyware, leaning towards yes due to the proprietary nature of its software. They recount their experience with Kaspersky during their time at Geek Squad and how it was known for its high detection rates and security, yet frustrating to bypass during ethical hacking practice sessions. The ban on Kaspersky in the US raises concerns about the future of the company's research efforts, which have been valuable to the cybersecurity community, such as their recent method for detecting the Pegasus spyware on iPhones. The speaker speculates on potential reasons for the US government's actions against Kaspersky, including the possibility of undermining the company's ability to detect spyware that the US might want to use or genuine concerns about Russian spying on US citizens.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Kaspersky Labs
💡National Security
💡Antivirus Software
💡Proprietary Software
💡Spyware
💡Best Buy
💡Geek Squad
💡Pegasus Spyware
💡Offensive Security
💡NSO Group
Highlights
The Department of Commerce issued a final determination prohibiting Kaspersky Labs from providing cybersecurity products or services in the United States due to national security risks.
Kaspersky Internet Security and its variants are officially labeled as spyware by the U.S. government.
The ban stems from concerns over Kaspersky's alleged ties to Russian intelligence agencies and the potential for the Russian government to use their software for spying.
The use of proprietary software from rival countries in government networks is discouraged to prevent potential security breaches.
Antivirus programs have high system access, making them potentially powerful tools for malicious activities if compromised.
In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security banned Kaspersky antivirus on federal computers and networks due to security concerns.
Best Buy removed Kaspersky from their offerings in response to the federal ban, affecting their tech support program.
Geek Squad agents were instructed to recommend alternative antivirus software to customers who had Kaspersky.
Kaspersky was known for its high detection rate and overall security, making it a top recommendation for high-end computers.
The ban on Kaspersky has raised concerns about the impact on their research efforts and the broader cybersecurity community.
Kaspersky Labs' research has been valuable, including their recent method for detecting the Pegasus spyware on iPhones.
The future of Kaspersky's U.S. office in Massachusetts is uncertain, potentially affecting jobs and research.
The speaker expresses personal interest in Kaspersky due to its robust security measures that were difficult to bypass during their offensive security learning.
There is speculation about the U.S. government's motives for targeting Kaspersky, including the possibility of hindering their ability to detect spyware.
The NSO group, which developed Pegasus spyware, may be indirectly affected by Kaspersky's research, suggesting a possible motive for the U.S. government's actions.
The video encourages viewers to share their thoughts on the situation and offers a discount on merchandise from the speaker's online store.
Transcripts
yesterday the Department of Commerce
issued a final determination that
prohibits kasperski labs and any other
companies associated with them from
directly or indirectly providing
antivirus software and cyber security
products or services in the United
States or to any us person due to the
risks that these products pose to US
National Security so the United States
government is now now officially
labeling kasperski Internet Security and
all other variants of their cyber
Security Suite as spyware and I say
officially because there's been a lot of
debate about whether or not kasperski is
a spy wear tool over the past few years
you might remember back in
2017 when the Department of Homeland
Security banned the use of kasperski
antivirus on Federal computers and
federal networks because of kaspersky's
alleged ties to Russian intelligence
agencies and really the fear that the
Russian government could compel
kasperski to use the antivirus program
maliciously as a spying tool now to me
it makes perfect sense for the United
States or any other country for that
matter to avoid using proprietary
software that is developed by a rival
country in their government networks and
it especially makes sense to ban the use
of something like an antivirus tool
which by design has a very high level of
access to the systems that they run on
they do analysis of files that are
stored on machines and they're reporting
their findings in files back to a remote
server that is controlled by the
antivirus company antivirus programs are
basically like benevolent
rootkits but when the stakes are as high
as a matter of National Security you
know government secrets being stolen
military Secrets being stolen you really
shouldn't just blindly trust that the
root kit is always going to be
benevolent now at the time of the first
kasperski bam I was actually working at
Geek Squad and kasperski was one of the
antivirus programs that Geek Squad
bestest buy offered um with their paid
tech support program and you also could
just go out and you know buy kasperski
by yourself without getting tech support
uh but anyway kasperski was one of the
ones that Best Buy really pushed right
because they included it with the tech
support and it was also one that most
individual Geek Squad agents at my
precinct and other neighboring precincts
would recommend to people um now it kind
of depended on what the client was going
to be doing with their computer and also
the specs of the PC they bought but
generally out of the three main
antiviruses we offered we would
recommend kasperski if you wanted to
have the best detection rate and I guess
best overall security at least on
high-end
computers and we would recommend web
rout for everyone else who had lower
spec machines because he used a lot less
memory and you know I guess was about
90% as good as
kasperski uh and as far as the three
that went with the tech support program
um the other was Tren micro which we
never really recommended because Tren
micro was trash I think it was great a
long time ago you know even before I
worked at Best Buy but yeah during that
time it was trash and I imagine still is
now the the reason I bring all this up
is back in 2017 when the federal
government banned kasperski or at least
banned using it in federal networks Best
Buy decided to pull kasperski from their
shelves as well because you know this
product was in the news and it's like
hey if the feds don't want to use it
then I guess a lot of other consumers
don't want to use it you know I guess
Best Buy did an internal assessment and
decided that as a company it was a bad
look for them to continue offering it uh
and an email was sent out to all of The
Geek Squad clients that were signed up
for tech support that had an ongoing
antivirus uh service because you know
the tech support service would last for
one two or three years and then you
would get an
antivirus key that match that timeline
um but anyway an email was sent out to
Geek Squad clients telling them that
they could bring in their computers if
they had kasperski or they could call
remote tech support
to switch over their remaining kasperski
license to Tren micro or web so that
Geek Squad email along with the news
coverage of the fed's Banning kasperski
had us very busy that week as our
appointment schedule filled up with
concerned Boomers wanting Best Buy Tech
Support to remove what they thought was
Russian spyware on their
computers now I can't say for sure
whether or not kasperski is spyware I
would lean towards yes simply because
it's proprietary I assume all
proprietary software is spyware until
proven otherwise and even then the
moment you update it code's different
and as long as it's still proprietary
it's still spyware but the software
being made by Russians doesn't make any
difference to
me however I am a little bit interested
in uh kasperski well and was interested
in kasperski for a few different reasons
the antivirus I was interested in
because back around 2016 and 2017 I was
learning offensive security and
developing malware that could evade the
detection of antivirus you know not like
black hat hacking but just testing out
malware in a lab and seeing how you go
about escalating privileges evading
antivirus Etc and for me it was pretty
easy to get past most antivirus software
out there uh which is part of the reason
why I think it's a little bit of a joke
um and even back then like a lot of
Metasploit payloads they could evade
paid antivirus so like script kitties
were able to do it but
kasperski was one antivirus in
particular that frustrated me and my
friends um whenever we would play hacker
man back in our script Kitty days um
sometimes we would be successful and
bypass it and then that was like a big
accomplishment for us but
um I guess something like my first pen
testing lab with premium antivirus
that's bought cheaply with an employee
discount isn't going to be able to have
kasperski on the menu anymore I mean the
ban happened at Best Buy seven years ago
but still if you were working at some
other place where you sell kasperski I
guess that's not going to be an option
anymore at least not if you're in the US
and speaking of kasperski in the US I'm
not sure what's going to happen to the
kasperski labs off office in uh
Massachusetts because well they don't
sell the antivirus out of there as far
as I know but obviously they're doing
some work there in research to improve
the product which the federal government
is now labeling as Russian malware so I
guess jobs there are going to be at risk
too now I don't personally use kasperski
antivirus or really any antivirus for
that matter so I'm not too worried about
what's happening to kasperski from that
perspective
but what I am worried about with
kasperski not being able to sell their
product in the US and you know
potentially having a bit of a cash flow
issue is what is going to happen to
their research efforts because the
research that comes out of kasperski
labs has been extremely valuable to the
broader infc Community you know the
International infc Community in fact one
of their biggest accomplishments just
early this year at the beginning of this
year was devising a lightweight method
of detecting the notorious Pegasus
spyware tool on iPhones and I believe at
this point it's also been forked to work
on other devices uh and you know this is
a little bit of a conspiracy theory as
for why the United States is coming
after kasperski so hard um because the
NSO group is the private security
company that developed pegas pus spyware
and while the US government has
supposedly never used Pegasus spyware
specifically they have used other tools
that were developed by the Israeli
security company and so maybe the US
government wants to try and hurt
kaspersky's ability to detect and
mitigate spyware that they might want to
deploy in the future or maybe they
really are just concerned about the
Russians spying on US citizens
let me know your thoughts in the
comments section below like and share
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