Shaheen Responds to DHS Announcement of Government-Wide Kaspersky Software Ban

(Washington, DC)—Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that federal agencies must remove Kaspersky Lab software from all computer systems. In June, Senator Shaheen successfully amended the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ban the use of Kaspersky software at the Defense Department. Since then, she’s offered an additional amendment to the NDAA that would extend the ban to the entire federal government. The National Defense Authorization Act is currently being considered on the Senate floor.  

“I applaud the Trump administration for heeding my call to remove Kaspersky Lab software from all federal agencies,” said Shaheen. “The strong ties between Kaspersky Lab and the Kremlin are very alarming and well-documented. Today’s announcement is a significant step forward in removing this national security vulnerability from federal computer systems. I’m optimistic that Congress will soon act on my government-wide ban of Kaspersky software so that this new policy is reinforced by statute.”

Senator Shaheen is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Earlier this month, Senator Shaheen authored an editorial for the New York Times, warning of the dangers of the United States government using Kaspersky Lab products.