Report: German security group unaware of spies leveraging Kaspersky software

A top German federal cybersecurity agency is unaware of Kaspersky Lab software being used in espionage, Reuters reported Wednesday. 

“There are no plans to warn against the use of Kaspersky products since [our agency] has no evidence for misconduct by the company or weaknesses in its software,” the BSI, whose name translates to the Federal Office of Information Security, told Reuters via email. 

{mosads}Recent news stories have described Russian intelligence agencies using the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab’s antivirus software to search for classified information.

The Hill reported earlier Wednesday that the House Science, Space and Technology Committee plans to hold a series of hearings on the software, whose use by federal agencies is the subject of a Department of Homeland Security ban.

Antivirus software works by examining files, including by uploading some files to a central server for analysis. A report Tuesday night claimed Israel had monitored Russian operatives using that inspection system to search for files related to intelligence programs.

The BSI, which uses Kaspersky products, told Reuters that the United States had provided no evidence that the media reports were accurate and would welcome seeing any such evidence.

The BSI is the second European group this week to say it had not been informed by the United States of any reason to avoid Kaspersky software. On Tuesday, Noboru Nakatani, executive director of Interpol’s Global Complex for Innovation, said Interpol had received no such information.  

Kaspersky roundly denies knowing involvement in intelligence operations for any government.