Eugene Kaspersky, the CEO of Kaspersky Labs, is ready to share the source code of the software that his company develops – He wants the authorities to audit his company’s security products amid claims that it has deep ties with the Russian government.
In an interview with The Associated Press, he stated that he wanted to dispel all sorts of rumors that are associating his company and staff with cyber espionage and linking it to the Russian government, in particular, the Kremlin.
The race to justification
The U.S and Russia have had some bumpy roads especially after alleged Russian interference with the elections that took place last year in the States.
Although it is probably a different matter, U.S officials, however, have become cautious of each and every instance of Russian presence in their country.
Just recently, the FBI carried out an investigation wherein it visited the houses of employees working for the Russian based software company, Kaspersky. The FBI officials essentially interviewed the employees as part of investigating any government links that they might have.
Following this investigation, the Senate came up with the decision to ban Kaspersky’s software from the Pentagon, where it is currently being used by military officials.
The ban was proposed in the recent defense bill and is yet to be approved by the House and subsequently by President Donald Trump before it becomes law.
However, Eugene Kaspersky is determined to turn away such suspicions as he has repeatedly stated that neither he or any of his employee has any links with the Russian government.
“If the United States needs, we can disclose the source code,” he said, adding that he was ready to testify before U.S. lawmakers as well. “Anything I can do to prove that we don’t behave maliciously I will do it, said Eugene.”
Why the persistent suspicions?
It is quite surprising that even after repeated claims by the CEO and his decision to reveal his company’s entire source code for investigation, it has not calmed down the rising suspicions by the U.S officials.
Perhaps this has got something to do with certain employees working at the company who previously held positions in Russian intelligence firms.
In fact, Kaspersky himself acknowledged the reason why they have come under the limelight. However, he also said that the structure of his company does not allow for any particular employee to have links with the government and carry out illegal activities secretly.
Moreover, he stated that there have been times when the government has approached him so as to coax him into hacking, but he never did incline toward what he calls the ‘dark side’.
Given these facts, it is unlikely that even getting his company’s code audited will quell the suspicions that are surrounding Kaspersky. It is not the software that is the threat, but it is the people that work in the company.
Also, the fact that Russia is primarily a state with many government-owned businesses only raises the suspicions of Kaspersky being influenced by the Kremlin even further.
Kaspersky’s critics have long gossiped over the matter
It is not new for Kaspersky to be held under suspicion as there have been a number of critics in the past that have questioned the legitimacy of the software company. But Kaspersky only has this to say, “We stay on the bright side, and never, never go to the dark side.”
Up until now, no proof exists that establishes Kaspersky having any ties with the Russian government.