Australia bans all Kaspersky products on government systems

The Australian government has banned all Kaspersky Lab products and web services from its systems and devices following an analysis that claims the company poses a significant security risk to the country.

"After considering threat and risk analysis, I have determined that the use of Kaspersky Lab, Inc. products and web services by Australian Government entities poses an unacceptable security risk to Australian Government, networks and data, arising from threats of foreign interference, espionage and sabotage," justified Stephanie Foster, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs.

"I have also considered the important need for a strong policy signal to critical infrastructure and other Australian governments regarding the unacceptable security risk associated with the use of Kaspersky Lab, Inc. products and web services."

According to the directive issued by the Department of Home Affairs, all non-corporate Commonwealth entities (subject to the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013) must:

• Identify and remove all instances of Kaspersky Lab products and web services.
• Prevent the installation of Kaspersky Lab products and web services in the future.
• Report compliance to the Department of Home Affairs' Commonwealth Security Policy Branch.

A provision for exemption exists for cases where using Kaspersky products is necessary for national security or regulatory functions, including compliance and law enforcement.

Responding to our request for a comment, a Kaspersky spokesperson refuted the cited allegations, saying the cited risks "are not based on specific evidence and no due process has been organized or followed to provide justification."

The cybersecurity company stated that the real reasons behind this sudden ban are purely political.

"Kaspersky believes that the decision stems from the current geopolitical climate and was not supported by any technical assessment of the company's products, which the company has been continuously advocating for," stated Mai Al Akkad, Kaspersky's Corporate Communications Manager.

"The fact that the directive was issued without any warning or opportunity for engagement to address the Australian Government's concerns highlights its political nature."

This move by the Australian government follows similar actions in other Western countries that have also cited national security and espionage concerns.

The U.S. prohibited the use of Kaspersky products on government systems in 2017 and expanded the ban to cover all U.S. companies and consumers on September 29, 2024.

The German government advised companies in the country against using Kaspersky products soon after the invasion of Ukraine, while Canada banned the use of Kaspersky security products on the mobile devices of government employees in October 2023.