PARIS: Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab announced on Monday it will allow third parties to analyze its antivirus software in an attempt to rule out accusations of spying for the Kremlin.
“We want to show how we’re completely open and transparent. We’ve nothing to hide,” company founder Eugene Kaspersky said while launching what was dubbed a “global transparency initiative.”
“Cybersecurity has no borders, but attempts to introduce national boundaries in cyberspace is counterproductive and must be stopped. We need to reestablish trust in relationships between companies, governments and citizens,” he said in a statement.
The Russian-based company has been accused of being a vehicle for hackers to steal security secrets from the US National Security Agency, and was banned by all American government agencies last month.
The software firm has repeatedly argued it has no ties to any government and has claimed it is simply caught in the middle of a geopolitical fight.
“Kaspersky Lab will engage the broader information security community and other stakeholders in validating and verifying the trustworthiness of its products, internal processes, and business operations,” the company said in the statement.
“As part of the initiative, the company intends to provide the source code of its software — including software updates and threat-detection rules updates — for independent review and assessment.”
Kaspersky’s software, widely respected for its virus-catching effectiveness, is used on millions of computers around the world.
The company has said it will open “transparency centers,” beginning in 2018, to address security issues with customers, partners and government stakeholders.
Three centers will open in Asia, Europe and the US by 2020, it said.
US media reports have accused the company of facilitating the Kremlin either as part of a covert espionage scheme or as an unwilling accomplice.
The New York Times reported two weeks ago that Israeli intelligence had hacked into the Kaspersky network and upon detecting the Russian intrusion, alerted the United States, which led to the decision to remove Kaspersky software from US government computers.
The online news site CyberScoop, citing anonymous sources, reported separately that Kaspersky as early as 2015 sought to promote its anti-virus software as a tool to track extremists in the Middle East.
The report said that some US officials were intrigued by the offer, but that technical members of the intelligence community interpreted this as meaning that Kaspersky’s anti-virus software could be used as a spying tool.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that the Russian government was able to modify Kaspersky software to turn it into an espionage tool.
The allegations concerning Kaspersky come in the wake of an alleged Russian-led effort to manipulate social media and influence the 2016 US presidential election.
Cyberfirm Kaspersky seeks to win back trust over Russia spy claims
Cyberfirm Kaspersky seeks to win back trust over Russia spy claims
Apple to update EU browser options, make more apps deletable
- iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7
- Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options
STOCKHOLM: Apple will change how users choose browser options in the European Union, add a dedicated section for changing default apps, and make more apps deletable, the company said on Thursday.
The iPhone maker came under pressure from regulators to make changes after the EU’s sweeping Digital Markets Act took effect on March 7, forcing big tech companies to offer mobile users the ability to select from a list of available web browsers on a “choice screen.”
The new rules require mobile software makers to show the choice screen where users can select a browser, search engine and virtual assistant as they set up their phones, which earlier came with preferred options from Apple and Google.
In an update later this year, Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options.
A randomly ordered list of 12 browsers per EU country will be shown to the user with short descriptions, and the chosen one will be automatically downloaded, Apple said. The choice screen will also be available on iPads through an update later this year.
Apple released a previous update in response to the new rules in March, but browser companies criticized the design of its choice screen, and the Commission opened an investigation on March 25 saying it suspected that the measures fell short of effective compliance.
The company said it has been in dialogue with the European Commission and believes the new changes will address regulators’ concerns.
It also plans to introduce a dedicated area for default apps where a user will be able to set defaults for messaging, phone calls, spam filters, password managers and keyboards.
Users will also be able to delete certain Apple-made apps such as App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos and Safari. Only Settings and Phone apps would not be deletable.
