Kaspersky Lab Affair

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The Dutch authorities recently announced that they are to stop using Kaspersky Labs’ endpoint security solutions, and were quickly followed by other major critical infrastructure providers. So what has driven this decision and what can we learn from it?

What’s next?

Analysing the different press releases and other media reports this week concerning the Kaspersky Lab affair, it’s obvious that trust is essential and a key aspect when selecting a security partner. This isn’t “new news”, but the fact that the Dutch authorities chose to publicly announce a lack of trust in a security vendor certainly is.

So what happens now? Should we expect other NON-EU and US suppliers to face the same sanctions from western countries? How important is the country of origin when making a security vendor selection?

The importance of end point security

The endpoint is the universal target for attackers. The mobility of endpoints - whether this is a laptop, mobile device or server - between offices, on the road, on premise and in the cloud requires protection beyond the enterprise firewall. The Kaspersky Lab affair is a clear indication of the importance of endpoint security. We have visited hundreds of organisations during the past year, and not all of them are fully aware of this.

  • Endpoint security is often not properly managed and can be left to employees to decide
  • Many organisations are still using outdated endpoint solutions (often designed for the consumer)
  • The mindset of install & forget is still dominant when it comes to managing endpoint security

Hopefully the latest announcement will be a wake-up call to reconsider how endpoint security is administered.

Geopolitics and regulations

The current international geopolitical climate and tightened European regulations are increasingly important aspects in selecting security vendors and solutions.

Looking at the endpoint security vendor landscape, we see two geographical risks:

  • Hybrid solutions: offer combined on-premise and cloud-based security features. The cloud can be located within or outside of the EU. The latter is, in many cases, a knockout criteria. Companies and especially service providers want to keep control of all their data.
  • For Non-EU and US security suppliers, the latest Kaspersky Affair may well influence decision makers who want to avoid risks related to espionage countries.

It is important to assess the implications of these two aspects when selecting a security vendor.

Are you concerned about your endpoint security?

Infradata recently conducted market research covering major endpoint security vendors to help businesses to select the right solution. Infradata defined over 80 different requirements covering architecture, support, integration, management, detection and prevention approaches, response and remediation capabilities. Contact an Infradata expert who would be happy to share our insights with you.

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