US Senator Urges DHS to Block Kaspersky Lab Software From US Election Systems

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Senator Amy Klobuchar called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Elaine Duke to ensure that software made by Kaspersky Lab is not installed in any US election systems.

"Given that recent reports indicate the Russian military attempted to breach US voting systems days before the 2016 presidential election, it is essential to ensure all US election system software is secure," Klobuchar, the ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee, wrote in her letter to Duke.

Klobuchar asked the DHS to reveal whether it has Kaspersky software on any of its critical infrastructure.

The senator also inquired whether DHS has determined if critical state-level infrastructure makes use of the software.

DHS must determine "whether foreign companies with ties to the very government that is attempting to undermine our democracy represent a security threat to our critical infrastructure," Klobuchar said.

The senator's comment comes following earlier media reports suggesting that the US government plans to limit the use of Kaspersky products in the country over the company's alleged ties to Russian intelligence services in a move the Kremlin called "politicized."

Kaspersky insists that it is an independent software developer and has strongly denied having any links to the Kremlin. The company has said it considers itself a victim of geopolitical strife between the United States and Russia, which has repeatedly denied accusations that it interfered in the 2016 US election.

Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov said earlier that response measures cannot be ruled out if the United States banned the use of Kaspersky Lab products.

sputniknews.com