The U.S. government has wrapped up the first two phases of a three-part effort to remove Kaspersky Lab‘s anti-virus software from federal agencies’ networks, Nextgov reported Tuesday.
Agencies scanned their systems for Kaspersky’s anti-virus and developed plans to uninstall and replace the software during the first two phases of the ban, the report said.
Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told Nextgov that DHS helped six small agencies scan their systems after those agencies failed to meet the October deadline for the first phase.
DHS’ operational directive requires agencies to start removing Kaspersky products by Dec. 19 but some agencies have already initiated the process, according to Manfra and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Rob Joyce.
DHS called for the Kaspersky ban in September due to potential ties between Kaspersky leaders and Russian government officials as well as Russian law that obligates some technology companies to support the government when required.