back to article Distributor dumps Kaspersky to show solidarity with Ukraine

Australian technology distributor Dicker Data has decided to end its commercial relationship with Russian security software vendor Kaspersky. CEO David Dicker told The Australian Financial Review the decision was taken out of a belief that Western nations have a responsibility to act, and because chief operating officer …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    For what it’s worth

    As a tiny fish in the giant ocean, I have recently dropped Kaspersky as well.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: For what it’s worth

      Ditto. Defected to BitDefender which promptly quarantined threats Kaspersky had not detected.

      1. hoola Silver badge

        Re: For what it’s worth

        BitDefender is based in Romania so I would not be over confident that swapping from Kaspersky gains you a great deal.

        The argument that a new product detects something the previous product didn't does not make it better. The all use different algorithms, signatures and cloud-based detection.

        We have had Sophos miss stuff on the desktop only for the same files to be blocked when written to the file server protected by Kaspersky.

        1. Man inna barrel

          Re: For what it’s worth

          Based on my recent acquaintance with some Romanian builders, I think it fair to say that Romanians don't like Russians very much. I definitely got a thumbs up for showing my support for Ukraine. I don't know what the economy of Romania is like now. After the fall of the USSR, it was quite a poor country, whose main export appeared to be criminal gangs.

          Countries that were once soviet satellite states fared differently. When I was looking for copies of European technical standards a few years ago, Estonia was the go-to place. I gather Estonia might be something of a technical hub nowadays.

          In my perhaps primitive economic analysis, I think one of the problems experienced by Russia and associated states when the communist system collapsed was that the assets formerly owned by the state were dished out to businessmen who are now classed as oligarchs. You can't create a modern free market economy from nothing. If you let the property owners do what they like, you end up with pirates, who plunder the nation's wealth at will, and fritter it away on luxuries, such as super-yachts and football clubs.

      2. Version 1.0 Silver badge
        Meh

        Re: For what it’s worth

        If you want to see which AV app detects a virus then upload the potential infected file to virustotal - if your file is infected then virustotal will usually spot it and you'll see all the AV apps that don't.

        All malware is written to avoid being detected and all AV software is updated all the time to catch the infections.

    2. Plest Silver badge

      Re: For what it’s worth

      Same here.

      I can't very moan about Valdolf's behaviour, support sanctions and then pay for a Russian product. Moved to Bitdefender, also same day I donated to the Red Cross appeal too. It's not much in the grand scheme of things but it assuaged my conscience a little.

    3. binary
      Devil

      Re: For what it’s worth

      Good for you. Besides, I don't trust the Russians.

      Since the Russian people seem to tolerate Vladimir Putin, I believe that anything made in Russia should be avoided and dumped. Our liquor stores dumped all Russian Vodkas.

      1. ScottK

        Re: For what it’s worth

        There are not many vodkas sold in western countries that are actually made in Russia or have any links to the place even the ones that try to look Russian.

        https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2022/02/26/ditching-russian-vodka-heres--where-your-favorite-vodkas-are-made/?sh=2414e4f12350

        1. jgarbo
          Facepalm

          Re: For what it’s worth

          Yep. Idiot Americans are tossing out Vodka not made in Russia, but locally. But then "Muricans, you know.

      2. Man inna barrel

        Re: For what it’s worth

        > Since the Russian people seem to tolerate Vladimir Putin

        I don't suppose they have much choice at present. It is not as if they have a fair electoral system to select their government representatives. Also, the propaganda in Russia is such that many people in Russia don't know what is going on, which suits Putin just fine. This means that things like massive inflation and shortages in the shops can be blamed on the evil West oppressing the people of Russia.

  2. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    What this really means

    It means that, from now on, it's going to be a lot harder to find excuses to work with China and not seem lika a hypocrite.

    Oh, silly me, I forgot the main excuse : China makes 90% of what we buy.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What this really means

      > it's going to be a lot harder to find excuses to work with China

      You misspelt "United States".

  3. Grunchy Silver badge

    Kaspersky makes security software for the PC, and I’m dumb enough to trust them? Nope I’ve always been contrary to that way of thinking.

    (I actually got to visit Uralmash in Yekaterinburg/Sverdlovsk back in 2012, the factory was reclaimed from being condemned, in fact they pulled the handrails off the stairways and bent them up to make radiators for the central boilers. It’s like, we’d show up at the factory office each morning and line up in the same queue, everybody bringing their passports to the security desk to be inspected, meanwhile the guards were hanging around with their AK47 rifles. Come on, guys, gimme a break!)

    And you expect me to believe Putin doesn’t leverage that Kaspersky network for his own surveillance network??

    I sincerely believe Kaspersky looks through all your files for “viruses” and uploads everything “suspicious” to the FSB for a second look.

    1. b0llchit Silver badge
      Big Brother

      Any good spy and spy organization knows how to infiltrate the supply chain. Suggesting that only one side did/does this is wishful thinking.

      1. John_3_16
        Facepalm

        Spy vs Spy?

        You mean Americans should close all accounts where we use phones, tablets &/or computers? It is a fact that the government has back doors into every communications company in the USA as well as similar agreements with many participating countries like Germany & Canada to spy on ALL of our communications any time they want to. No warrant required. NSA & CIA are only 2 of the many "letters" spying on citizens to fill the trillion dollar server farms built strictly for this purpose.

        If you want to get a huge reaction convince everyone to use encryption for their emails & calls. The government would outlaw it via terrorism courts & it would die. Do you really think we are not constantly being watched or listened to? Come on... It is not paranoia if it is really happening. [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)̲̅$̲̅]

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "I sincerely believe Kaspersky looks through all your files for “viruses” and uploads everything “suspicious” to the FSB for a second look."

      That's because you don't understand network controls.

  4. FeRDNYC

    "Dicker Dater" feels like a false dichotomy to me. #WhyNotBoth?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    About time...

    There was a report in the FT a few years back detailing how the original IT team at Kaspersky had all been replaced with 'government employees' apparently more or less in one go. Very specific it was, too.....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: About time...

      if you take the time to look that up, you will find that both the UK and US have many former (or still) tech spys (NSA retired and such) working in their tech teams.

  6. 43300 Silver badge

    More virtue-signalling!

    It's amusing that people won't trust Kaspersky (despite no researchers ever finding anything of concern with its products), but are willing to trust equipment made in China (i.e. pretty much everything). If you think Kaspersky is suspect, why don't you think the same about the fimware in Chinese-made devices?

    1. Plest Silver badge

      I completely agree, I think it's a great product, it worked well and I had no issues with all the bollocks from the yanks about spying. What i couldn't do was moan about Russia's behavour and then contribute to helping their economy by supporting them, I dropped Kaspersky purely on ethical grounds, not technical.

      1. Bowlers

        Well said. I'm just a single user with more than 600 days of usage left. Moved to Bitdefender.

        1. itzumee

          If you've already paid for Kaspersky...

          ... the only reason to stop using it is that you can no longer trust them, you're not gonna deny them any further revenue until your subscription expires

  7. Danny 2

    The only good Russians...

    are in Russian prisons.

    For any Russian entity to be treated seriously they first have to call the war a war, and then condemn it.

    "There is a war between the ones who say there is a war and the ones who say there isn't"

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sadly we are moving on too

    I brought K into our enterprise 7 years ago, it has been nothing short of fantastic. I have managed security tools for over 20 years, and K has been the best over all. It is disgustingly sad that the owner has not denounced the mas murder by putin. I expect it is out of fear for his own life, but that's not good enough. So it is destroying the company.

    This is a heavy loss for the IT Security world.

    I have enjoyed the support of the US team in Burlington MA (US). It is one of the very few companies that I have been happy with their support, which is not common.

    They will be missed.

  9. BPontius

    Zero Evidence

    I am staying with Kaspersky until I see evidence of spying or data snooping. The U.S Government claims they have evidence of Kaspersky spying, but do not publish it. Switched to Kaspersky after the Snowden leaks showed it was the only security suite the NSA couldn't hack to help them spy on people. The NSA has cracked much of the commonly used encryption on the Internet, so I'm betting they have cracked Kaspersky by now.

    I do not support Putin's assault on Ukraine!, it is obvious the Russian people don't support this invasion. I stand with the Ukraine and hope they can regain their peace. Putin has ruined his political career and I hope the sanctions and asset confiscation hit his personal wealth hard.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Zero Evidence (but...)

      I've been using Kaspersky since Norton destroyed AtGuard and itself, in some other era. I also believe the problems with the US government are related to Kaspersky not playing ball with them. Similar to the old spy vs spy, black and white story. If you're not my friend then you're my enemy.

      Having said that, under the current circumstances, Eugene himself could be personally under duress and his network compromised.

      It would be helpful to all his users if he could give us a sign that he's still operating independently of the Kremlin. Like having a little yellow bird on his front page or something of that sort.

      Otherwise, I'm inclined to move KAV to an insulated box and find another firewall for the main one.

      But then, second guessing myself, maybe the US government saw this day coming and started parting ways with Kaspersky ahead of time, just like they did with the Russian gas and oil. Now that the shit hit thew fan, the problem is not so big for the US as it is for the EU.

      Which makes me third guess myself about the meaning of excluding China's telecom industry. If it's not just to help the west's tech to catch up with China, is a war with China also inevitable?

  10. VoiceOfTruth Silver badge

    J'accuse...!

    Where was Dicker Data when the USA murdered 1,000,000 Iraqis?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: J'accuse...!

      The Red Star Belgrade fans said it best a couple of weeks ago, but I bet you didn't hear of it.

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gO3oJJJTF4E

      1. VoiceOfTruth Silver badge

        Re: J'accuse...!

        Thanks for the link.

        Alas we in the world are very forgetful unless there is some sort of accountability. If Blair and Bush had been treated in the 'free' western press the same way Putin is currently, maybe I would have a smidgin less negativism about these jump-on-the-bandwagon-Putin-is-bad people.

        When I read these sorts of reports about these finger-pointing ignorers, apologists, or supporters of mass murderers like Bush and Blair it does rather tingle.

        I have no quarrel with either Russia or Ukraine and wish them both peace.

        1. John_3_16
          Paris Hilton

          Re: J'accuse...!

          Cuba, Vietnam, Iraq, Black Ops to kill one leader to seat a chosen one, etc. Russia is our enemy. So their enemy becomes a friend sort of. China is our enemy sort of. But they own us sort of.

          How many military actions have we taken on our own without invites? Did we ask China or Russia how they felt about it first? If we attacked Mexico on our border do you think the world would sanction us? No. Russia & China would smuggle in arms & supplies BUT would not send troops. Are we doing that now?

          All in the eyes of the beholder. Kaspersky AV has given full access to audit its software. I am sure if Russia tried using it that one or more nations would quickly spot it.

          I did not stop eating hot dogs to support the innocents we made war against. We beat Japan & Cuba. The others, not so much. With the world's help maybe Ukraine survives, even wins. I will keep using KAV.

          If you are interested in global spy networks we created/joined then check out

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes#Fourteen_Eyes

          Be aware or be a victim. God help us all.

  11. jgarbo
    Facepalm

    Good for Discker!

    So Mr Dick's supporting the neo-Nazi govt of Ukraine against the evil Russians? Good work.

    1. RichardEM

      Re: Good for Discker!

      A freely elected government is not neo-nazi especially headed by someone who is Jewish. stop listening to russian propaganda or those who mouth is such as many supporters of the only president who i consider a TRAITOR Trump.

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