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Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab is defending against allegations that their antivirus software supported Russian spies in stealing classified files from the US National Security Agency. Kaspersky Lab asserts their antivirus software only downloads secret attack files but was mistakenly flagged as malware after infecting an NSA contractor's computer.
Kaspersky unintentionally acquires NSA hacking tool
Kaspersky's CEO, Eugene, confirmed the company has purged these files from its system. Additionally, the Russian cybersecurity firm adds: “Kaspersky Lab has never detected any malicious documents in their products based on keywords such as ‘secret’ and ‘classified’.”
In 2014, Kaspersky investigated a hacker group known as Equation, believed by experts to be affiliated with the NSA. Shadow Brokers, a hacker group, stole a series of hacking tools from the Equation Group - a cyber attack unit associated with the NSA.
During the investigation of the Equation Group, Kaspersky's antivirus software detected some malicious code attached in 7-Zip on a computer in the US. This malicious code was then uploaded to Kaspersky Lab for analysis, revealing a range of hacking tools.
According to Kaspersky Lab, at the time users downloaded and installed pirated software containing a piece of malware called “Backdoor.Win32.Mokes.hvl”. Kaspersky's software flagged it as malware. However, to run this pirated software, users disabled Kaspersky's antivirus software, subsequently infecting their systems with a backdoor that Kaspersky Lab believes allowed hackers to remotely control the system.
Kaspersky Lab is uncertain about the timeframe of the computer being infected with the backdoor. However, the company's software first detected the presence of the backdoor on users' computers on October 4, 2014, and the last instance was on November 17 of the same year.
Many allegations against Kaspersky in the media primarily originate from anonymous sources. However, the US Department of Homeland Security has compelled federal agencies to cease using Kaspersky's antivirus software. Retailers like Best Buy have also removed Kaspersky Lab products from their shelves. Despite being among the top antivirus software of 2017, the incident of Kaspersky inadvertently downloading NSA hacking tools could seriously undermine the credibility of its antivirus software.
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