On Tuesday, the United Kingdom’s cybersecurity agency warned that companies providing services to Ukraine or key infrastructure should reassess the risk of employing Russian computer equipment in their supply chains.
“We have no evidence that the Russian state wants to suborn Russian commercial products and services to cause damage to UK interests,” the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of the British GCHQ eavesdropping intelligence agency, wrote in a blog post.
Organizations who provide services to Ukraine, key infrastructure, or could be a “win” for Russia in terms of public relations should “particularly examine the danger of Russian-controlled elements of their supply chain,” according to the article.
Italy said earlier this month that any antivirus software related to Russia should be replaced, while Germany cautioned clients of Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab that its software is vulnerable to hacking attacks.
The US added Kaspersky Lab to its list of communications equipment and service providers that are considered risks to US national security last week. Such actions, according to Kaspersky Lab, are politically driven.
The NCSC did not directly warn against Kaspersky Lab software, but did warn that if Kaspersky Lab was sanctioned, its consumers may need to switch antivirus providers.
“If you are more likely to be a target for the Russian state as a result of what’s going on,” the article read, “it might be advisable to rethink your reliance on all forms of Russian technological products or services, including but not limited to cloud-enabled products such as antivirus software.
