Kaspersky wins major Aust Govt deal

Kaspersky Lab has secured a contract to provide security services for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The security vendor has secured a major win to further its Australian strategy, which involves collaborating with government agencies on policy and technological matters, as well as delivering its global cyberthreat intelligence services to the market.

CRN has reported that Sydney-based Hemisphere Technologies will serve as the distributor for the deal and that the contract covers providing protection for all 2500 of the department’s employees.

Kaspersky Lab founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky announced the contract earlier this month during a visit to Australia. He was visiting Australia for the AusCERT information security conference.

During his Australian visit Kaspersky warned of the significant threat posed by cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. He gave examples including an attack on a German steel mill that caused an emergency shutdown and a plane crash that killed six people due to a software fault.

“These attacks are designed not just to steal your data, not just to steal your bank account information, but to kill. This is the worst-case scenario,” The Australian quoted Kaspersky as saying.

Kaspersky Lab itself fell victim to a cyber intrusion earlier this year, the company recently revealed.

The company has stated that the attack was conducted by the group responsible for the infamous 2011 Duqu APT attack, which is believed to be a state-sponsored campaign.

Image courtesy of Flazingo Photos under CC