Lithuanian government stops using products from Kaspersky Lab
The Baltic News Service reported on Sunday that Lithuanian government institutions and critical IT systems have abandoned software developed by Russian antivirus manufacturer Kaspersky Lab, citing the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense.
"At the present time, all administrators of critical IT systems do not use this software or have had it removed," noted the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.
According to the National Center for Cyber Security, Kaspersky Lab's programs were used by about 5% of government agencies.
The order requiring the abandonment of this product was passed in the second half of December by the Lithuanian government, which stated that "Kaspersky Lab” software poses a potential threat to national security and IT infrastructures critical to it." Ninety days were given to replace any computer programs.
Kaspersky Lab noted that they will continue to provide services to their clients in Lithuania, despite the restrictions imposed by the authorities.