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Australia has banned government officials from using software from the Russian cyber security company Kaspersky. The reason given is that the software poses an “unacceptable security risk”.
Last week, the Australian Department of Home Affairs issued a directive prohibiting government agencies from installing Kaspersky products or web services on official systems and devices.
“After reviewing the threat and risk analysis, I have concluded that the use of Kaspersky Lab products and web services poses an unacceptable security risk to government networks and data arising from threats of foreign interference, espionage and sabotage,” Stephanie Foster, Permanent Secretary in the Australian Department of Home Affairs, explained in the directive. The authorities now have until April 1 to remove all existing installations of Kaspersky software on government systems.
With this step, Australia joins the group of “Five Eyes” intelligence partners that have announced restrictions on Kaspersky software. These countries already include Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
When asked by TechCrunch, Kaspersky spokesman Stefan Rojacher said the company was “disappointed by the decision” and that the order was issued “without warning or opportunity for dialog” to address the Australian government’s concerns.
In June 2024, the US announced a nationwide ban on Kaspersky software and advised Americans using the software to switch to another antivirus program. The Russian software manufacturer then announced the following month that it was leaving the country for good, as its US business was “no longer viable”.
