CIO'S MESSAGE - July 24, 2017

Urgent: Advice on Kaspersky Lab Antivirus and Related Products

The Department of General Services (DGS) and the California Department of Technology (CDT) recently issued a joint communique (Bulletin #: P-09-17), requiring all State departments and agencies immediately stop the use of Kaspersky Lab antivirus and related products and suspend the procurement of Kaspersky Lab products until further notice. 

In accordance with the DGS and CDT joint communique, all Technical Coordinators on our campus have been notified about this advisory and have been asked to ensure that no Kaspersky Lab products are used on our University owned computing devices. Instead, campus-licensed Symantec antivirus and information security products should be used. If you believe that your University owned computer has Kaspersky Lab products installed, please contact your Technical Coordinator for assistance. To locate your Technical Coordinator, please visit IT HELP or contact the Technology Help Desk at 562-985-4959 who can help locate your local support coordinator. 

We also recommend that all of us be cautious about using Kaspersky Lab antivirus and information security products on our personal computing devices. If possible, use alternative antivirus and information security products. For example, Microsoft Security Essential is a free antivirus and security suite for Windows computers available from Microsoft website; Sophos offers its antivirus program for Mac computers free of charge. 

If you have questions about this advisory, please contact ITS-ServiceManagement@csulb.edu. If you are concerned about the validity of this message, please contact the Technology Help Desk at (562) 985-4959. 

Min Yao, Ph.D. 
Vice President & CIO