Kaspersky Lab And Due Diligence – How Do You Minimize Risk?

Kaspersky Lab, a Russian-owned cybersecurity company that sells anti-virus software and other kinds of IT systems security products, has been banned from use by the federal government. This latest development comes by way of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which issued a directive requiring agencies to (1) identify Kaspersky products they are using, (2) create plans to stop using those products, and, eventually, (3) discontinue using those products and remove them from IT systems. The DHS directive is on the heels of the General Services Administration's (GSA) July 23 decision to remove Kaspersky from the list of approved vendors. The latest move makes logical sense, of course: if Kaspersky really represents the threat that Congress and the Trump Administration believe that it does, then every moment that goes by with Kaspersky products in use is a moment where security is at risk.