US senators seek military ban on Russian cyber security firm's products

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US senators sought on Wednesday to ban Moscow-based cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab's products from use by the military because of fears the company is vulnerable to "Russian government influence," a day after the FBI interviewed several of its US employees as part of a probe into its operations.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents visited the homes of Kaspersky employees late on Tuesday in multiple US cities, although no search warrants were served, according to two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the FBI probe.

Kaspersky Lab confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that FBI agents have had "brief interactions" with some of its US employees. The company described the discussions as "due diligence" chats. The FBI declined to comment.

Kaspersky's anti-virus software is popular in the United States. /VCG Photo

The interviews were followed on Wednesday by the release of a defense spending policy bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would prohibit the US Defense Department from using Kaspersky software platforms because the company "might be vulnerable to Russian government influence," according to a summary of the legislation.

A consensus in Congress and among Trump administration officials believed Kaspersky "cannot be trusted to protect critical infrastructure, particularly computer systems vital to our nation’s security," Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said.

Lawmakers raised concerns that Moscow might use the firm's products to attack American computer networks, a particularly sensitive issue given allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russia hacked and leaked emails of Democratic Party political groups to interfere in the 2016 presidential election campaign. Russia denies the allegations.

In response to US lawmakers' concerns, Kaspersky founder and Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky had said during a question-and-answer session on Reddit that he would be willing to appear before the Senate to dispel any concerns about his company's products.

Employees work in offices inside the headquarters of Kaspersky Lab. /VCG Photo

Kaspersky's anti-virus software is popular in the United States and around the world, though US officials have long been suspicious that the company may have ties to Russian intelligence agencies.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the company said, "Kaspersky Lab believes it is completely unacceptable that the company is being unjustly accused without any hard evidence to back up these false allegations." It said that in its 20-year history, the company has abided by "the highest ethical business practices."

(Source: Reuters)