On February 24 2022, Russia decided to militarily invade the country of Ukraine as a continuation of a Russian-Ukrainian war that started in 2014. International condemnations and sanctions against Russia were immediate and Russian reactions were not long in coming.
Large multinational companies either by force, social pressure, or most of their own free will decided to stop operations or to leave Russian soil immediately and completely. Consumers in many parts of the world questioned major brands about their role in this confrontation.
We can find companies from various industries, from food to communication and entertainment. Just to name a few brands such as Coca-Cola, Zara, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Shell, Apple, General Motors, Netflix, and even Disney+.
Can Russian companies stop serving the West?
While it is true that, as of this writing, there is no notification from the Diplomatic Information Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the European Union, nor from the Russian Foreign Ministry or Russian companies directly, there is well-founded concern about the widespread use of Russian companies’ computer security applications. However, there is well-founded concern about the widespread use of Russian companies’ computer security applications.
In response, it is to be expected that the Russian government will block and sanction Russian companies that provide services to the West. Its policy implemented on March 11, 2022, to block Facebook and Twitter suggests that this measure could spill over into what is already being called the Trade War and the other battlefront of Cyber Warfare.
If your company has IT assets residing in countries with which Russia maintains challenging rhetoric it would be best to take action and analyze the risks.
The Zero Trust Security Model
The Zero Trust model has 3 fundamental pillars that define and govern it for the protection of IT assets:
- Verification of the user’s identity
- Verification and validation of the device used
- Definition and control of access granted to resources or applications.
Given the current environment, should I trust Russian applications such as Kaspersky?
Data Center administrators, who are Kaspersky Lab users, are wondering today if it will be a good decision to continue using this platform to manage the security of all their IT assets.
The Zero Trust Model is clear, trust nothing and no one! Under this model and given the current global environment the answer is clear and not to be trusted.
The probability of a cyber-attack through these types of applications is high.
It will be up to each company to make the decision and measure their risks. So here are 5 factors to consider eliminating the use of Kaspersky.
5 factors to consider when discontinuing the use of Kaspersky products
- Geographical location of the Data Center, in which country is my data located?
- Mission-critical computers and applications protected by Kaspersky
- Opportunity cost after an attack-induced service outage
- Total investment in assets protected by Kaspersky
- Level of trust Do I maintain digital operations with customers and suppliers in the West?
5 security platforms as Kaspersky replacement alternatives
- SOPHOS is an English platform specialized in security and is our recommendation
- ESET is a Slovakian security suite
- McAfee is an American security suite
- Bitdefender is a Romanian security suite
- Panda Security is a Spanish security suite
Conclusions
The idea of writing this opinion post is after listening to our customers who use Kaspersky solutions today and are concerned about the risk to their IT assets from a premeditated cyber-attack, from a total or temporary suspension of the contracted service, or from being used as a steppingstone to attack other companies.
At Linnoit we strongly suggest that you replace your Kaspersky products with an alternative. Our team of technical consultants can advise you with alternatives, migration plans, and professional services. For more information Contact us.
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Bibliography:
Wikipedia, The Zero Trust Security Model
Sophos, Looking to Switch From Kaspersky? Step up to Sophos
