Kaspersky Reportedly Helped Russian Hackers Steal NSA Secrets

With the mounting tension between Russia and the US over confirmation that Kremlin-backed hackers interfered with the 2016 presidential elections, officials can add stolen NSA secrets to the list of concerns. A recent report stated that Russian hackers used the Kaspersky antivirus software to steal confidential government information from an agency contractor’s home computer.

The new report came via The Wall Street Journal, which published an explosive piece with regards to the NSA data theft. The publication notes that multiple sources familiar with the incident confirmed that highly classified materials were indeed stolen from the home computer of a contractor working for the agency.

It would appear that the contractor was targeted due to his use of the Kaspersky antivirus, which is based in Russia. Apparently, the files that were stolen were identified using the software, which has caused great concern among those who use the product. Antivirus programs are meant to protect users from hackers, not enable them.

In any case, no evidence for the hack has been presented so far, Ars Technica reports. Even if what the WSJ published is true, there is simply no way to independently confirm the details short of the NSA announcing the facts.

On the matter of Kaspersky Labs, without specific details on exactly what happened, it’s difficult to tell if the company intentionally helped hackers with the theft or if it was the result of a bug. It’s also worth noting that this development has two sides that people need to provide equal attention. Aside from the hack, it also reveals that someone managed to bring classified information out of NSA control.

Besides the fact that it’s SOP to keep all classified data in NSA buildings, it’s also common sense to not store such data in one’s home computer. The fact that the unnamed NSA contractor managed or was potentially allowed to do so is indicative of massive oversight on the part of the agency.