The Russia connectionU.K. government agencies told to remove Kaspersky software from their systems

In another example of a Western government taking decisive action to limit the ability of Russian government hackers to steal sensitive information, The U.K. cyber security agency on Friday has advised U.K. government agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab’s products from their systems.

DHS and the DoD had instructed all U.S. government civilian and military agencies to remove Kaspersky products from their computer systems, and the process is well underway (see “Federal agencies complete second phase of Kaspersky product removal,” HSNW, 1 December 2017).

The Guardian reported that Ciaran Martin, the chief of the U.K. National Cyber Security Center, sent a letter to all U.K. government departments, warning them that Russia, “a highly capable cyber threat actor which uses cyber as a tool of statecraft,” has the intent to target the United Kingdom and its critical infrastructure. As such, Martin wrote, computers with info that could harm national security should not use an anti-virus software developed by a company based in Moscow.

Endgadget reports that Kaspersky has been under fire these past few months after allegations came out that it has been working with the Russian government to steal classified data from the United States and Israel. In September, Best Buy pulled copies of Kaspersky’s anti-virus from its shelves, and the U.S. government officially banned its federal agencies from using it shortly afterward.

Martin’s warning notwithstanding, the Cyber Security Center said it was working with the company to develop a framework that it can independently verify and use to prevent Russia from getting its hands on U.K. secrets.