Federal agencies struggle to get Kaspersky software off their systems: report

Federal agencies are having a hard time getting Kaspersky Labs software off their computers after Congress passed legislation mandating that they do so, reports the Daily Beast.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by Congress last November requires agencies to stop using products created by Kaspersky Labs, a Russian security software company.

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As agencies have tried to remove Kaspersky software and hardware from their computers and servers by the October 2018 deadline, they have found that it can be tricky.

“It’s messy, and it’s going to take way longer than a year,” one U.S. official told the Daily Beast. “Congress didn’t give anyone money to replace these devices, and the budget had no wiggle-room to begin with.”

Lawmakers’ crackdown on Kaspersky stems from purported Russian interference in the 2016 election.

After getting warnings about using the software from the national security community, legislators became concerned that the company’s close ties to the Russian government could give the Kremlin a backdoor into U.S. government computers running Kaspersky software.

Lawmakers then passed legislation to push the use of Kaspersky products out of the federal government.

Lawmakers have cited similar concerns recently as they have pushed for similar government bans of Chinese-made telecommunication products from firms like ZTE and Huawei.